All of the Elemental Dragons Stories (So Far)

Hi all!

This week will just be a post about the Elemental Dragons books! Cinder and Fire will be out in less than a month, and the Complete Collection is set for a July release! I wanted to put my books all in one place so any new readers I have can have a look, without going to my ‘Books’ page. Any stories that have been published elsewhere will also be in this post, so you won’t miss a story from that universe!

Born to a common life, Hazel’s fate will be anything but…

Hazel is a commoner born with water elemental powers. When her dragon egg hatches, she's left with a black dragon that is the first of its kind to be tamed. Faced with discrimination on all sides, Hazel finds herself working twice as hard for less respect; and when dragon markings appear on her back, she needs to keep them hidden.

Bound together with friends and foes alike, Hazel must seek out the answers they so desperately need as quickly and quietly as possible. In a world where political parties divide those who would live with dragons as equals or masters, time is running out to uncover just who, or what, threatens them all. Against a world that has shunned and belittled her, Hazel must find the courage to seek the truth and make her own mark on Aria.

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.

As long as they are on the hunt no dragon is safe, and if the group can’t learn to control their elements in time then they never will be again.

Just as they are starting to settle into a routine back at the camp, the group falls under the public eye mostly because of newcomer Violet who harbours a secret that quickly thrusts them all straight into the limelight.

Can they duck the paparazzi and stop the villains at the same time? Or will some of the very people they’re trying to save be the group’s undoing?

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.

With enemies old and new mounting around them, Hazel and the others are running out of safe places to flee. Finding themselves prisoners in a strange city, they’ll have to learn who to trust if they want to survive. Some members of the group soon find that they’re developing strange new abilities, but at what cost?

Will Hazel and her friends be able to save themselves from the battle and ever shifting alliances of the Wyrms? Or will they fall at the hands of the Cindaraans?

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.

If that wasn’t already bad enough, tensions are high for other reasons as well. More personal ones. They have lost friends in their fight for justice and those losses now threaten to tear the group apart.

Hazel discovers that she has an exciting and dangerous new ability. One that might give them the edge they need to win. But only if she can survive long enough to use it.

Read about four dragons who face difficult decisions and tough times ahead, but refuse to lie down and accept their fate.

Russet dreams of being free, but will she ever get there?

Hercules has escaped the lab it has been imprisoned in for so long, but now what?

Ophelia’s art has gotten her into a lot of trouble, but can she find inspiration in the streets of Arimouth?

Moon has been alone for many months now, can four younglings change that?

Contains short story, Circles, set during Elemental Dragons #1: Blood and Water.

That’s all the stories from the Elemental Dragons universe so far! I’m still writing short stories that I hope to submit to magazines and anthologies, so this list could grow!

That’s it for this week, I hope you check out some of my work. See you next week!

Looking for some magical books to dive into this month? All are free to download on Kindle Unlimited!

Spreading Magic in March…

Or would you prefer some fantasy books that are currently on sale? Check out this bundle:

March Madness Fantasy Book Fair

Elemental Dragons Posters

Hi all,

This week I thought I would share all of the posters created throughout the Elemental Dragons series, just in case anyone missed any. I originally planned to just have one poster for the first book, but I found it really fun to use so I commissioned the other posters too! I love seeing my characters drawn, and it helps readers visualise the characters as well! If you want to check out any of my books, please click on the ‘Books’ tab!

Not every dragon is born equal

This is the poster for Blood and Water - complete with the blue and red colour scheme of the book. The dragon illustrated is Aqueous, who was drawn by stevcelazarevsk. Aqueous is charging a blast of water, hence the glow in his mouth.

Not every dragon is born to serve

The poster for Venom and Earth - in green and purple. This time the dragon is Winter, who is ready to fire some rocks at whoever gets too close. She was drawn by ivanterribly2.

Not every dragon is born free

Glass and Ice is next, with a blue and white colour scheme. The dragon on this one is Damayanti, drawn by Danielle English, @KanizoArt on Twitter. Damayanti is gearing up to fire ice at anyone who tries to chase her into the sky.

Not every dragon is born to fight

Lastly we have Cinder and Fire. It has a grey and orange colour scheme, with Drea charging a blast of fire in her mouth. This one was drawn by toodlingart.

I will be commissioning posters for all of my books, with the next one being Mute! It will feature a Wendigo, though I haven’t figured out the pose or the colour scheme yet.

Please check out all of the talented artists that I have been lucky to work with! See you next week!

PS, looking for some new fantasy books to read? Check out the ones in this bundle:

Spreading Magic in March…

What do Dragons Eat?

Hi all,

It's another dragon post! This week I'm going to talk about what dragons can and can't eat in the Elemental Dragons universe. Although they mostly eat meat, they can eat a few human foods and sweet treats. Each dragon is different from the other, so they all have different dietary preferences. However, dragons don't need to eat every day after they reach the age of one. Their bodies are much better at absorbing nutrients from their food, so they are able to eat less. They can usually go two or three days in between meals. Because their companions eat daily, they also eat daily however. Though this is in much smaller portions to prevent weight gain.

Meat.

Dragons can eat raw meat and animals, but much prefer to have it cooked. Unless they're a Fire Elemental they can't do that, so if they're out hunting they'll have no choice but to eat it raw. They will leave parts of the prey that are too stringy or chewy, however. Most are quite fussy about which parts they will eat, some will ignore parts that others love.

Vegetables.

Dragons can eat most vegetables, though if you put a plate of peas and a plate of chicken in front of them, they will go for the chicken. Some dragons have strict dietary requirements which means they need to eat vegetables often, while others never touch them. A lot of companions don't bother trying to feed their dragons vegetables as a lot of them will turn their noses up at them. The vegetables they are least likely to deny are ones that are green, such as peas and broccoli.

Fruit.

Most fruits are too sweet for dragons, so they will avoid them. If it's a small amount, they may eat a slice of apple or banana. However, most will look at their companions with disdain until they are presented with something that they deem more acceptable.

Bitter Foods.

Dragons love bitter foods, a lot of them prefer ginger over everything else. In some cases, companions will use a bitter sauce or dressing in dragon food to give them more variety.

Sweet Foods.

These kind of foods are bad for dragons, as their bodies don't digest them properly and can harm them. Chocolate, in particular, is toxic to them, like with cats and dogs. Although these foods are bad for them, they absolutely love eating them. In controlled amounts they can eat:

Vanilla Ice Cream

Unglazed Doughnuts

Plain Pancakes

Vanilla Cake

However, these must be given as treats only, not for everyday consumption.

Drinks.

Dragons don't care for many human drinks, most preferring water. There are some however, who have developed a taste for coffee. They love it due to its bitter taste and giving them more energy.

Dairy.

Unlike cats and dogs, dragons can tolerate dairy in large quantities. They especially like double cream and cheddar cheese.

Starchy Foods.

This differs from dragon to dragon. Some love potatoes and pasta, others don't. It depends on their taste buds.

That's it for this week, I hope you found it interesting! Is there anything else you want to know about dragon lifestyle? Let me know!

See you next week!

Looking for new magical adventures to take you to new lands? Check out the books in this bundle:

Spreading Magic in March…

Dragon Books to Read While Waiting for Cinder and Fire

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about my top three favourite dragon series (apart from Elemental Dragons, of course)!

I've discovered two of these quite recently, and I've fallen in love with them quite quickly. I thought I would share them with you guys so then you can check them out while waiting for Cinder and Fire to come out! I recommend all of these series to readers of Elemental Dragons. The links to the books are in the name and author!

So, without further ado:

Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland

I found this series through Warriors, my all-time favourite series. The books are told from the point of view of dragons. In the first series, five dragonets have to stop the Sandwing War as prophesised. However, this doesn't go to plan. My favourite series is the second one, as I was drawn to all of the characters and wanted to read the next book as soon as I finished one. My favourite characters are Glory and Moonwatcher.

Dragon Assassin by Arthur Slade

I thought this was a weird combination at first, but I was quickly drawn into these books. I love the dynamic between Carmen, the assassin and Brax, the dragon. They strike a deal, he helps her kill her brother who has slaughtered most of her assassin academy, and in return she will kill whoever he wishes. Brax is sarcastic and tries to pretend he doesn't care for Carmen, but it's obvious he does.

Dragon School by Sarah K. L. Wilson

These books are told from the point of view of Amel, a servant girl with a disability. She wants to become part of the Dragon School, where she can train to be a dragon rider. When she chooses her dragon, she instead finds that he chooses her. Her and Raolcan have to save her friends, while facing the disappointed mocking of dragon riders who don't think Amel should have gotten a chance.

That's it for this week, I hope if you do decide to check out any of these books that you enjoy them! See you next week.

Only a few days left to check out the books in this fantasy bundle!

NEW YEAR HIGHS AND MYTHOLOGY

My Bookplate Design

Hi all!

This week I'm going to show you my new bookplates! If you're unsure of what a bookplate is, it's a sticker that you can put in a book to signify ownership or hold a signature from the author. In this case, I will be using them to sign and send to people who want signed copies of books. It will be my first official author merchandise, apart from my books, that is!

Without further ado, here it is:

I struggled for a while with the design, as I wanted something that represented me and my books. I considered a dragon, but I'm not planning on limiting myself to fantasy books. I also thought of a snow leopard, like the one used in my logo, but decided against that too. Eventually I picked a cat, as I think that represents me and my books best. Every book I wrote contains a cat and I knew it would be the perfect fit.

Who is the cat on the bookplate?

The cat is Russetheart, my Warrior Cats original character. I wanted to use a cat, but not just any cat. Warrior Cats is what really got me into writing, and I wrote so may stories about Russetheart. Her design has changed a lot over the years, but this is the one that I'm sticking with for now. She used to be a solid ginger, but now she's a dark ginger with white paws. She's long-haired, though started off as short-haired, with deep blue eyes. Although she'd been through a lot and was an outcast to most of her Clan, she's strong, ambitious and loyal. I knew she would be the perfect cat for my bookplate.

The signature will be above her, which is what she will be looking at.

You can find the artist here: Fiverr

What the bookplates look like when printed - each sticker is three inches big

I will be doing a giveaway of a few of these at some point, once I've figured out how best to package and ship them to avoid damage. I might do more bookplates in the future with different designs, maybe one for each genre I write in. For now, I'm more than pleased with using Russetheart to represent my work.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you enjoyed reading and are looking forward to the bookplate giveaway, see you next week!

Looking for some new fantasy books to read? Check out the ones in this bundle:

NEW YEARS HIGHS AND MYTHOLOGY

The History of Elemental Dragons

Hi all!

As promised, I'm going to talk about my feelings after setting up the pre-order for Cinder and Fire.

When I first starting writing Blood and Water when I was seventeen, I never imagined I'd get this far. I never even considered the fact that publishing might become a reality rather than a dream. I just wrote because I felt like it, and wanted to write something about dragons. I had no plans for the series at that point, I just started writing based off of rough ideas I had. After three months, the first draft of Blood and Water was finished.

My first book.

The first book that I had actually written all the way through, beginning to end. I couldn't believe it. I left it for a month before starting the edits on it, researching word counts and the best way to edit. It was round 90K at that point, so I knew I had a lot of tidying up to do.

Fast forward two years and hundreds of Blood and Water drafts later, I started my second one. I didn't start it straight after Blood and Water because I honestly had no idea where the story would go. After years of not touching it, the urge to continue became too much and I finished Venom and Earth in eight months. I had just started my apprenticeship and was at the height of my depression, so it took a lot longer than what I wanted.

The first draft of Glass and Ice was completed in one month for NaNoWriMo 2018. I averaged 2771 words a day, and knew that I wanted to take writing seriously.

So I started querying.

I sent out about eighty in total, each of them rejections. One of them begged me to pass the book onto someone with more 'experience' and a 'better writing style'. I refused, and so my self publishing journey began. I also wrote the first draft of Cinder and Fire during this period.

Here I am today, three books under my belt with the fourth one coming out in two months time, and I couldn't be happier. In July I'm also planning on releasing a boxset of all the Elemental Dragons books, the cover is here:

So, how do I feel about publishing the last book in the Elemental Dragons series?

Over the moon that I managed to accomplish what I set out to do, but also sad that it's coming to an end. These were my very first books, and I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them. I'm going to keep writing and keep publishing, as that's what makes me happy. I hope that I can inspire others to write or even just help them get through the dark period in their lives. If I can help just one person, it would mean that I've done something right.

On another note, the proof copies of all four books will not be staying on my bookshelf. The first three belonged to my Grandfather before he passed, and I don't like the thought of them just sitting there. Instead, I'm going to set up a raffle for them and donate the money to charity. He loved cats, so I am going to go with a cat charity. I'm not sure when I will set this up as it is a painful process, especially to pass on the books that belonged to him, but I want to do something in his name. Something he could be proud of. Once I'm ready, I'll get in touch with the cat charity that I would like to donate the winnings to and set it up. I will make posts about it, so keep your eyes peeled.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! Next week I have treat for you all - my bookplate reveal! I received them this week and they look absolutely gorgeous, I'll do a giveaway on a few of them too! See you next week!

Looking for some new fantasy books to read? Check out the ones in this bundle:

NEW YEAR HIGHS AND MYTHOLOGY

Cinder and Fire Pre-Order Live

Hi all!

The final book in the Elemental Dragons series is available to pre-order on Amazon!

I can confirm that it will be released in both ebook and paperback on 13th April 2021.

You can pre-order it here:

While you’re waiting for it to come out why not sign up to my mailing list? Not only do you get monthly updates about projects I’m working on and cover reveals, you also get one FREE enovella set in the Elemental Dragons universe when you do!

That’s it for this week! Next week I’m going to talk about how I feel about finishing and publishing my first series! See you next week!

Looking for some new fantasy books to add to your bookshelf? Check out these ones:

NEW YEARS HIGHS AND MYTHOLOGY

How to Market Books Online When You Have Anxiety

Hi all!

This blog post is the result of a tied Twitter poll, with the other winner being posted last week! This time, I'm talking about how to make marketing your books easier when you have anxiety. Although my anxiety is a lot better than it used to be, I still get anxious when posting on social media sometimes. I thought I would share a few of tips and tricks to decrease the amount of anxiety I feel and make marketing easier.

Schedule posts.

With marketing my books, I schedule the posts. Why? Because then I forget about them. When I log into my social media for the day I remember that I scheduled a book quote or promo image when I see my notifications. This alleviates my anxiety when checking social media, as scheduling marketing posts a month in advance means I inevitably forget when some will be posted.

Don't post anything you're not comfortable with.

Some people like to share absolutely everything on social media, but you are under no obligation to do the same. You post what you want to post, not what other people want you to post.

Likes ARE engagement.

I've seen this argument on Twitter quite a few times, and I'm sick of it. If you 'like' a post, you have engaged with that person. Some of the arguments I've seen have tried to make people feel guilty for not commenting on their posts. Some say that likes are false engagement as it's simply a click. Do not get sucked into this. My anxiety means that sometimes I just can't bring myself to comment on a post, no matter how mundane it is. Instead I give it a like and move on. You are not obligated to comment on every post you like. Take care of your mental health, don't worry about someone getting upset about a like.

Only follow people you're comfortable following.

This is another thing I've seen that is prevalent on Twitter. You don't need to auto follow everyone back who follows you. If you look at their profile and see things you aren't comfortable with, don't follow them. Again, you are not obligated to follow everyone who follows you.

Newsletter swaps.

I use StoryOrigin for newsletter swaps, as it involves no direct communication with the other author unless you want there to be. There's no back and forth emails discussing list sizes and who is promoting what. You pick what you want them to promote, what you'll promote in return, and the date. I find this much easier than approaching authors directly.

Promotions.

Again, I use StoryOrigin for a lot of promotions. It's the same as newsletter swaps, you pick what you want promoted and they'll either accept your work or not. No direct communication is necessary. This helps me with my anxiety a lot, as I'm not great at talking to people who email me out of the blue. You can then schedule these on your social media with the link and an image if the promotion has one.

Post a promotion for your book once a week, and build up from there.

Test the waters and see how you feel after posting weekly. If you feel ready enough to increase those posts, then do so. You will not get angry comments from people about how you constantly promote your book. There are people who post about their book ten times a day and just get blocked. Posting once a week will not send an angry mob after you.

Don't spend too long on social media.

Take frequent breaks, and don't constantly check your statuses. It won't help you alleviate your anxiety.

Once you post something, leave.

When I post on Twitter or Facebook, I make the post and then leave. I usually come back an hour or so later with a clear head, instead of sitting there worrying why no-one has liked it yet.

Do what you are comfortable with.

If you don't want to post on social media on days you aren't feeling up to it, don't. You don't have to push yourself to go on social media and post anything. Ignore the ones that say you have to post multiple times a day to get interaction. You don't need to do anything. There are no rules as to how much you post. It's on your terms.

If someone messages you something nasty, block them.

Don't dwell on whatever they've said. Just block them so they can no longer communicate with you.

Don't feel bad for being anxious.

If people tell you that you aren't doing enough, ignore them. Anxiety is a mental illness that can't be switched off. Some think that you might not be doing much to promote your books but in my eyes, one post is better than nothing. Your anxiety does not make you less of a person. Remember, one person's definition of 'not enough' does not need to match your definition. One post means that you are speaking up about your work. You don't need several in one day.

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

Looking for new fantasy books to read? Check out the ones in this bundle!

Reading Treasures

Why Authors Need Boxsets

Hi all!

I ran a poll on Twitter and the result was writing a blog post about boxsets. If you don’t know what a boxset is, it’s a collection of books in a series that you can buy as one product. In this post, I will cover the following points:

Design

Pricing

Readers

With design you need to think about the following points:

Spine Direction

Thumb Notch or no Thumb Notch

Boxset Cover

Although spine direction and thumb notch comes down to personal preference, the cover is the one you need to think about the most. You can get a whole new cover designed for it, or you can use your book covers. Depending on your covers, you could have multiple books on one cover. However, if your books feature the same model on each cover I would advise on picking one. With my boxset, I have chosen the cover for Blood and Water with my cover designer's advice, as they said having the same girl on the cover three or four times wouldn't look as good. Listen to the advice of you cover designer, they have more experience in that field than most authors.

Here is an example of a boxset of Warriors by Erin Hunter. The spines are facing the right and it does not contain a thumb notch:

Boxset of ‘The Prophecies Begin’ by Erin Hunter

With pricing, you need to make sure that it's reasonable, but also priced high enough for you to make a profit on advertising. I've found that a lot of authors on Amazon either set it at 99p for sales or slightly cheaper than buying each book separately. For example, each individual book may be priced at £2.99 and there's five in a series, but the boxset is priced at £7.99. Have a look through boxsets of authors in your genre to see what they're pricing their boxsets at.

Although most readers are happy to purchase a book and wait for the next one, there are a lot of people who will only buy a series when all the books are out. A boxset is perfect for them, as they can download all of the books in the series at once and read them at their own pace.

Now, onto the pros and cons.

Pros.

More readers.

As I stated above, some readers wait for all the books in a series to be published before picking up the series. A boxset is the perfect way for them to buy all your books at once.

Cheaper than buying all the books.

Having the boxset cheaper than all of the individual books combined will tempt some readers into checking out your books. It's a low risk, high reward scenario.

More reviews.

The readers who only buy boxsets gives you a new stream for reviews. The more reviews you have, the more Amazon will push your book in front of new eyes!

Cons.

Boxset design.

It's another thing to spend money on, and you need to make some design decisions so it matches other books in your genre. Although you can make it yourself, if you're not familiar with graphic design it might not turn out the way you like.

Amazon doesn't allow indie paperback boxsets.

Self published authors can only publish boxsets of their ebooks. If a reader wants the paperbacks, they'll have to buy each one separately. Or, you could combine all the books into one file. This would be one huge book, which would have high shipping and printing costs. Plus if it goes over a certain page count, Amazon won't print it.

Less profit.

Because boxsets are cheaper, you'll get less profit than if you were to sell each book individually.

Amazon doesn’t like the word ‘boxset’.

I’ve heard a lot of authors talk about how Amazon only likes the word boxset for paperback books. With ebooks, they prefer you to use ‘collection’ or ‘omnibus’. Some Amazon ads have been rejected for using the word boxset, so be careful when naming and advertising.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! Next week I'm going to talk about how to market with anxiety. See you next Sunday!

PS; looking for new books to read? Check out the ones in this bundle!

Reading Treasures

Want to Help me Design Characters?

Hi all!

This week I want to highlight my monthly newsletter once again - with a new interactive feature!

Every month I will post a character that my subscribers help me design.

This month, I ran a poll to decide what Maelstrom would look like, Marine’s dragon counterpart. My subscribers decided that she would be: a rare emerald green and white dragon with green eyes.

If you want to help me design more characters, you can sign up to my mailing list! You also get a free eNovella when you sign up!

The cover for the Elemental Dragons Short Story Collection, which can be downloaded free when signing up to my newsletter

For February’s newsletter, my subscribers will help me with the design of Frostbite, the dragon counterpart to Frost. Designing dragons will continue for another seven months after this, after that I will then be asking for help with designing other characters for different books.

If you would like to help me design characters, you can sign up for my mailing list here: Monthly Newsletter.

My newsletter doesn’t just contain dragon designs either! It also includes:

Monthly news.

Round-up of monthly blog posts.

Book swaps with other authors.

Book bundle promotions.

Writing excerpt.

Cover reveals.

If you are interested in signing up, again the link is here: Monthly Newsletter.

That’s it for this week, I hope to see you each month with my newsletter. See you next week!

PS: looking for some new books to add to your virtual bookshelf? Check out the ones in these book bundles:

Reading Treasures

New Year, New Monsters!