Middle School Grade Fantasy
Date Published: December 2, 2021
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
THE LAST DRAGONS IN THE KINGDOM WERE KILLED A HALF CENTURY AGO.
At least that's what twelve-year-old Eliana has grown up hearing. Imagine her surprise when one morning in the forest she finds herself eye to eye with a young dragon. When she learns the dragon's father has been missing since the last full moon, she vows to help.
Together, they seek the King for guidance, but upon reaching the castle they realize the short, frazzled King has problems of his own. The kingdom's treasure is missing and the tribute to the Overking is due in a few short weeks. If the King doesn't pay, he will lose his kingdom to the Overking's feckless nephew.
The dragon and the girl must discover courage—sprinkled with magic—to find what is lost before the kingdom falls into the wrong hands and people and dragons perish forever.
Tell us a little about yourself.
A creative writing major in college, then an
educator, I am at last a full-time writer. I used to focus solely on short
fiction (for grown-ups) and have had several stories—both slipstream and
literary— published, the most recent in Loud Coffee Press.
My debut novel, a Middle Grade fantasy The
Dragon and the Girl: True North was released December 2, 2021, and is
available wherever books are sold. For news and updates, please find me on
social media @laurafindleyevans and on my website at www.LauraFindleyEvans.com I am currently writing
Book 2 of The Dragon and the Girl.
I live in Southern California, but was raised
in the Midwest, not far from the purported geographic center of the lower 48
states. One of my other projects is a novel about what it was like to be a
daughter of a Presbyterian minister and his wife, whose church’s roots were
planted in the rich, black Kansas soil and mores of the 1960s.
Tell us about your newest book.
THE LAST DRAGONS IN THE KINGDOM WERE KILLED A HALF CENTURY AGO.
At least that’s what twelve-year-old Eliana has grown up
hearing. Imagine her surprise when one morning in the forest she finds herself
eye to eye with a young dragon. When she learns the dragon’s father has been
missing since the last full moon, she vows to help.
Together, they seek the King for guidance, but upon reaching the
castle they realize the short, frazzled King has problems of his own. The
kingdom’s treasure is missing and the tribute to the Overking is due in a few
short weeks. If the King doesn’t pay, he will lose his kingdom to the
Overking’s feckless nephew.
The dragon and the girl must discover courage—sprinkled with
magic—to find what is lost before the kingdom falls into the wrong hands, and
people and dragons perish forever.
Is it available now?
Yes! It released on December 2, 2021, and is available on Amazon
(ebook, hardback, and paperback), as well as Barnes and Noble. It is also
available on other ebook platforms such as Kobo.
Have you published any others?
Not yet! Short stories, yes, but no other
books. I have begun Book 2 of The Dragon and the Girl series, though. Hoping to
have it out by December 2022. Check out my short short at www.loudcoffeepress.com. It’s called Quarter and is in Issue 3, Volume 1.
How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first short story at age 6 about a
man named Brill who built a spaceship and flew to the moon. So, a long time!
What inspires your stories?
I am a panster, which means that stories just show up. In
the case of this book, I was staying with my then 10-year-old and 12-year-old
granddaughters for three nights. Trying to prolong lights out, they asked me to
tell them a story. So, I did. Once upon a time…and then there they were: the
girl (Eliana) and Winston (The young dragon). After three nights, I knew the
story needed to be written.
Titles are tough. How did you come up with
your title?
Eliana thinks her life is boring and predictable. She
yearns for adventure and finds it. But along the way, she learns that sometimes people
can be pulled off course, can drift from what is truly important. She learns
that she must find her true north. I also knew I wanted kids to realize this
story was about dragons. As one of my granddaughters said, “There can never be
too many books about dragons.”
When did you realize you wanted to be a
writer?
I don’t know that it’s a “want,” but rather a “need”. A
need to write. Journals, stories, and now these books.
Is theme an important concept in your
stories? If so, is it personal for you, or something you feel strongly about?
I found when writing this
book that the characters all had to discover what they truly needed to be, who
they needed to become. The book Save the Cat, by Jessica Brody, helped
me (during the editing process) go back and find each of the four main
characters’ flaws, wants, and needs. My hope is that readers will see the
characters’ personal journeys and think about where they are in their own journeys
on their way to finding their own true north.
What do you look for most in a book when
you’re reading, and how do you incorporate that into your own writing?
For middle grade, I look
for excellent writing with vivid descriptions and realistic character development.
I look for a story that hangs together, that makes sense, that earns its
ending, whether or not it is a happily ever after. I look for high level
vocabulary, because kids need exposure to words like capacious, inexorably, and
dissuade. Research shows that kids can and do learn words from wide reading of
high-level literature. I strive to include all of these in my writing.
What can we expect to see from you in the
future, any books on the backburner?
First up is Book 2. When
True North was being created, I realized that not all the conundrums in Book 1
were going to be resolved unless the book were much longer! I have written the
first four chapters of Book 2 and can’t wait to discover what happens next!
Is there anything you want to add before we
close our interview?
I want to thank Acorn
Publishing, my family and friends, and the many readers, writers, and other
artists who have supported me on this journey. I have connected with so many
amazing people via social media who are incredible cheerleaders for other
writers.
Thank you for being with us today. Good luck
with your new book.
Thank you for including me!
About the Author
At six years old, Laura Findley Evans wrote her first story about a man named Brill who flew to the moon. When her teacher asked her to stand up and read it to the class, she learned just how powerful a story can be. A creative writing major in college, she has written many more short stories, some of which were published, and one that won an award. The Dragon and the Girl: Due North is her first novel. It began when her grandchildren said one night (when they were supposed to be sleeping), “Tell us a story.” And so she did. Laura would like you to know that whatever she writes must be true, whether it is real or not. She hopes you will discover the truth in this story. You can visit her online at www.LauraFindleyEvans.com.
Contact Links
a Rafflecopter giveaway
1 Comments
Congratulations on your release of The Dragon and the Girl: True North, Laura, I enjoyed the interview and I enjoyed following the tour and learning about your book, which sounds like a wonderful book for me and my granddaughter to share and I love the cover! Good luck with your book and I hope the tour was a success! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a spectacular week!
ReplyDelete