Category Archives: dragon books
Where is Caesarea Maritima?
In my forthcoming book of the Dragomeir Series, “ Egg of the Amphitere,” one of the key points is the location known as Caesarea Maritima. It was one of four Roman colonies for veterans in the Syria-Phoenicia region created by the Roman Empire. The ancient Caesarea Maritima city and harbor was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 B.C. It was named in honor of Caesar Augustus.
Caesarea was built like a model Greco-Roman city and laid out on a grid. There was a forum, theatre, temples, public baths, paved streets, and an elaborate villa that probably belonged to Herod himself. Giant twin aqueducts brought fresh water from Mt. Carmel, and formed part of an elaborate water and sewer system. But the focal point was a temple dedicated to Augustus.
Caesarea’s strategic location placed it at the juncture of important trade routes. In the harbor, Herod’s engineers constructed two huge breakwaters, lined with warehouses. At the end of the southern breakwater stood the lighthouse, whose fires burned 24 hours a day. Six enormous bronze statues marked treacherous sandbars. To ships coming in from sea, the sight must have been truly impressive. The city had been populated through the late Roman and Byzantine era. Its ruins lie on the Mediterrean coast of Israel, about halfway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, on the site of Pyrgos Stratonos (“Straton’s Tower”).
A hearth is discovered there and plays an important role in the near destruction of Mt. Drago, the mountain around which my story is based. (In general in ancient Greece, each state, city or village possessed its own central hearth and sacred fire, representing the unity and vitality of the community. The fire was kept alight continuously, tended by the king or members of his family.)
Tanis finds not only a hearth in the ruins, but also the remains of one of the original prytaneums. (A prytaneum was a public building or hall in an ancient Greek city containing the state hearth and serving as the place of meeting and dining for the prytanes or priests, and sometimes of official hospitality for distinguished citizens and visitors.) Further study shows him the convergence of multiple Ley Lines and a portal to Oblivion.
I chose the hearth at Caesarea Maritima because similar structures also show up in other parts of the world where Ley Lines are present. What better way for the book’s characters to travel on and off the Provinces?
In the real world, Caesarea Maritima is open to the public and is certainly one of the oldest settlements, dating back over two thousand years.
Want to find out more? Check it out here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarea_Maritima
Solitaire
Top 10 Best-Selling Fiction Authors of All Time
“You can find a chart detailing the estimated sales figures of the top best selling authors on a number of different web pages and you’ll notice they all look eerily similar. But you’ll also notice that the estimated sales figures have large margins for error, this is because no matter how much research you do there is no one consensus on how many books any author has sold. It is hard to say with certainty who sold how many books since a lot of them, you might have noticed, were written a long time before computers, the internet and all the record keeping wonders of the modern world. (Then again I’m not so sure we can trust modern figures either.) But while there may be a few surprises for some people you will also find that it makes sense when you think about it. So instead of this list being a record of who sold more fiction novels, it is instead an attempt to explain why these authors have become the top 10 best sellers of all time.
So lean forward, dig in, and try to understand exactly what you have to do in order to follow them. Here is a list of the top 10 best-selling fiction authors of all time, and why.”
Check out the following site to find out who these authors are –
http://akorra.com/2010/03/04/top-10-best-selling-fiction-authors-of-all-time/
Know any more that should be added to this list?
To see the latest cover of my new Dragomeir Series book “Egg of the Amphitere” – due out very soon, go to my website –
Check you soon,
Solitaire
Forthcoming Dragomeir Series Book 3 – “Egg of the Amphitere”
The Forthcoming book, “Egg of the Amphitere“, is the third installment to the Dragomeir Series. The manuscript is finished and in the final editing stages, which is always very exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. In this book, Queen Mother manages to procure the third and final Crystal Key, which will keep the hordes from Hell locked on the Provinces forever. Tanis impresses with an Amphitere dragon and increases his family to four. You are introduced to a new group of people called the Savants at the mountain, and Tanis learns of a Gate system called the Hearths. This system could end the isolation of the Dark Lord and bring destruction to Mt. Drago. So Tanis and Queen Mother must find out how the Dark Lord plans to use these devices, and stop him before their world crashes down around them.
Find out if the Savants are friends or foes, and if the Hearths are the wave of the future or the end of mankind. Learn how the Amphiteres are the answer to the dragons’ past, and what they must do to survive.
“Egg of the Amphitere” finishes the original saga of Tanis Theatra and his quest to become a dragon rider, but there are many more stories yet untold. So keep following as the big picture unfolds.
See you soon . . .
Solitaire
Where Do Book Characters & Their Names Come From?
I’ve been asked many times how I get the characters that appear in my books. Funny, I’ve always been shy in the admission of their history because many of the characters that show up are people that I know, or am related to in some manner. I’ve always worried what some of the people would say if they knew, consequently, it isn’t generally the first thing I’d choose to reveal. Most people don’t see themselves as others do, and in that knowledge rests my courage to portray them as I see them – good, bad or indifferent. This is not a strict rule of thumb though, as there are exceptions – you will see as you continue to read.
The easy ones to use as examples are the characters that have enviable personas, like Princess Rhylana. She was patterned after my wife and mother to my children. In the book, Rhylana portrays the very essence of what I see in her, and have seen for years. She’s spunky, aggressive, and kind to small children and animals. She’s a fighter, and never gives up.
Queen Mother was given her persona from a very dear lady to me, and companion. She’s aggressive, prone to lead anyone who’ll follow, (you know just to keep them safe) and dedicates her life to promoting the underdog. She’d spit in the eye of a demon, but runs from cockroaches and can’t keep herself from rescuing any and all small mammals.
Tanis, a lead character and spokesman for a series of my books was patterned after me.
Two exceptions are characters that were designed by readers. They signed up for a character contest to have their creations entered into volume one of my Dragomeir Series, “The Emerald Dragon.” Helup Ironfold, a Blacksmith by trade and rider to the dragon Jilocasin Sybaris Cirfis, was created by Jacob Overton and played a significant role in the book. He appears in later books as well. Sergei Rasputin Cosmonov, a Red Immortal Demon and rider to the dragon Volansa Spirandi Bellator, was created by Joe Russomanno and also played a significant role in the book. Sergei too, has a role reprisal in later books.
When it comes to naming my characters, there are a few things that come to mind.
- Some of the names are compilations of people I know or maybe even names of pets. A particular character may bring someone to mind because of their personality or specific traits.
- I Google English names or words to determine what they would be in another language. It’s wise to check origins of names to make sure you have the correct one for the location of your setting.
- Checking the “root” meaning of a name might be important too. It needs to apply to your character to make sense, unless it’s done purposely for comedy or irony.
- Google is a great resource for almost everything. Once a name is picked, I often Google it to make sure it isn’t a real person who might be offended by the usage of their name. If there is a question, then I change it somehow.
- I might use a name from a book I have read or a movie that I particularly liked because it fits the character I have created in some way. I’m careful not to plagiarize someone else’s characters.
- I don’t always use a middle name or initial, depending on the character. It isn’t always necessary unless you need a specific emphasis on a name.
- It’s also good to choose names that fit the era you are writing about, unless an unusual name for that time frame is part of the story.
- I have even used names that I liked from a certain place or map that just sounded right for my character.
How do you name the characters in your stories? It would be fun to know.
Solitaire
Visit me at solitaireparke.com
7 Tips and Tricks on How to Keep Your Dragon Happy!
Since I am currently writing a series of books which are centered on Dragons, I thought it might be interesting to find out (from the Dragon Rider’s perspective) what makes them behave and keeps them happy.
The Dragomeir Series – Urban Fantasy
And the Forthcoming book
My main character, Tanis Theatra, has not only one, but three Dragons to manage on a daily basis. So, how do you deal with creatures that are potentially dangerous, if nothing else, because of their size (Enormous would be an understatement) and then there’s that little thing about breathing fire/plasma, or just getting in the way if their mood isn’t so great and they’re just hungry. How do you pacify or keep a Dragon in a good humor? Well, according to Tanis, here are some tips –
- The only thing to fear is fear itself. Just keep telling yourself that, two and a half tons isn’t all that big. Dragons have an uncanny sixth sense about where you are at all times. You’ll probably trip over their tail long before they step on you.
- Fire can be a problem during impression, but except for rare occasions, it’s mostly a matter of symbolism. Baby Aguivas on the other hand will teach you from experience not to stand at either end. Accidents only happen to the unwary.
- Amphiteres are born angry, so consequently get up on the wrong side of the grotto every day. They want to play, and it’s a thin ploy that lets them act out their frustrations, so play with them a lot. It helps in so many ways.
- A dragon will get grumpy if they’re not fed enough, but the same result happens when they’re fed too much. Either way brings out the pent up hostility in a reptile. Once every four days is a general rule of thumb, but understand, too much is worse. Dragons grow throughout their lives and the rider is the last word on how much they eat and grow.
- In a Dragon’s “Holder of Things”, a container much like a metal trash can, you can often find one of their favorite toys – a Frisbee – which makes them very happy. They can be extremely child-like in many ways.
- One of a Dragon’s favorite things is cherry candy and they will do pretty much whatever you want to get it.
- Dragons hear your thoughts and mirror your emotions. The more stable you become, the happier your dragon will be. It’s a good recipe for both parties when the rider is on his/her game.
So, now you’ve learned a few interesting facts about the Dragons of Dragomeir. They’re really quite compelling, although they can be very formidable if you make them angry. But to a Dragon Rider there is no greater creature in the universe!
Join Tanis and his friends as they uncover fascinating relationships, deceptions, betrayals, mysterious technology, and old-world charm and of course – Dragons!
Solitaire
Writers/Authors – 7 Tips to Help You Identify Your Target Market/Audience
A target audience is the person or group of people a piece of writing is intended to reach. This seems to be one of the most difficult questions to figure out for a writer/author. I, for one, have struggled with this one. So I’ve been doing some research and have uncovered some tips from multiple sources that have been helpful to me. Although we as authors would like to believe that the books we spend hours poring over are going to be loved by everyone, rarely is that the case. We all have our preferences as to what interests us, which accounts for the racks upon racks of books and genres that are found in bookstores and on the internet everywhere. In order to maximize the promotion of your books and put them in front of those who would most likely be your audience, you need to know which categories and genres they fall under so that readers can easily find the specific books that interest them. If you find and narrow your niche it will enable you to appeal to and reach more of the readers that will ultimately buy your book. What group/groups of readers are you targeting and how do you accomplish that tricky, but very important feat? Well, here are some tips I found that might be helpful:
- Try to isolate what types or groups of people the content of your book would interest. Is it about something historical? – history buffs, or elements of the future? – sci-fi, does it have elves or fairies? – fantasy, is it technical or educational? – educators and/or computer buffs, etc. If it has elements of several different topics it could appeal to a number of types of people. The groups of readers may overlap. (You may have multiple target audiences.)
- Pinpoint what is special about your book – what words would you use to describe it specifically to someone if they asked what it was about. (What is the hook?) Is your story scary, comedic, fantastic and/or futuristic, educational, technical, mysterious?
- Determine what age your book would most likely appeal to. (Demographic) Is it something kids, teens, young adults, adults, or a combination of readers would enjoy?
- Look at other books that are comparable to your book and applicable to the topic or subtopic in your book. identify who are their main readers/buyers. (Check at Amazon or Barnes & Noble to see what books are in their categories.)
- You can Google the reader demographics for magazines, publications or newsletters that are applicable to the topic or subtopic in your book.
- Investigate compatible author websites. See who is making comments and check out their profiles. They might be your target audiences.
- Examine the type of vocabulary you have used or are going to use in your book. How would it change depending on whether you were addressing children, teens, or adults? Who would relate to the way your characters are speaking.
Once you have identified your target audience, look at the users of the social media sites, publications, or blogs to see where those readers hang out. Start heading in those directions to find the people that are compatible with your writing, and connect with them to grow a fan base. Be where they are.
I hope this helps you to determine your target audience and better connect with your readers.
Solitaire
Top 10 Fantasy Writing Tips From “Game Of Thrones” Author George R.R. Martin!
Just about everyone, including me, has watched or at least heard of the TV show, “Game of Thrones.” The author, George R. R. Martin, has been writing Fantasy books for many years before this series came out. I have been a fan of his for a long time. Since I write Urban Fantasy myself, I was curious what his thoughts were on the subject. So I thought this article on the site, Lifehacker.com, was rather interesting. His top 10 writing tips for Fantasy are as follows:
- Don’t limit your imagination
- Choose your point-of-view characters to broaden the narrative’s scope
- It’s okay to borrow from history
- Talk to real people for a believable point of view
- Grief is a powerful tool_but don’t overdo it
- Violence should have consequences _ so spare nothing
- Avoid fantasy clichés
- The world is full of “grey” characters to draw from
- Juggling lots of characters takes skill and luck
- All men must die, but we don’t have to give way to despair
To read the details of each of these tips, click on the link below and enjoy!
Any tips you’d like to share? I’m always open to new ideas for improving my writing. See you soon.
Solitaire
Urban Fantasy? – Part Two: 28 TV Shows & Movies
Urban fantasy is not just a literary genre; it is also a Television and Movie genre, even if it isn’t necessarily referred to as such by many people in TV Land or Hollywood. Urban fantasy shows have been around for quite a while, starting with the likes of the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, both of which were more sci-fi than anything else but still had some urban fantasy elements to them. The urban fantasy genre didn’t really take off though until about ten years ago, when a slew of new shows came along that featured supernatural characters and goings on in a largely urban setting. There’s a good chance you’ve seen some of them.
Television –
- Once Upon a Time – A woman with a troubled past is drawn to a town in Maine where fairy tales are to be believed.
- Gargoyles – A clan of heroic night creatures pledge to protect modern New York City as they did in Scotland long ago.
- Grimm – A homicide detective discovers he is a descendant of hunters who fight supernatural forces.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer – A young girl, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
- The Vampire Diaries – A teenage girl is torn between two vampire brothers.
- Sleepy Hollow – Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.
- True Blood – This show features every Urban Fantasy trope you can think of, from vampires to werewolves to fairies and everything in between.
- Supernatural – Two brothers follow their father’s footsteps as “hunters” fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds, including monsters, demons, and gods that roam the earth.
- Hemlock Grove – A teenage girl is brutally murdered, sparking a hunt for her killer. But in a town where everyone hides a secret, will they find the monster among them?
- Penny Dreadful – Explorer Sir Malcolm Murray, American gunslinger Ethan Chandler, and medium Vanessa Ives unite to combat supernatural threats in Victorian London.
- Angel – The vampire, Angel, cursed with a soul, moves to Los Angeles and aids people with supernatural-related problems while questing for his own redemption.
- Lost Girl – Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins.
- Dead Like Me – A college dropout, Georgia “George” Lass is killed by a toilet seat that falls from the MIR space station on her first day at a temp agency. Upon death, she is recruited for a team of grim reapers – undead who mix among the living and take people’s souls just before they die. Along with fellow team members Mason, Roxy, Betty, and leader Rube, George discovers life after life.
- Being Human – A werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost try to live together and get along.
Movies –
- The Harry Potter Movies – Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- Ghostbusters – Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
- Hellboy – A demon, raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.
- Hellboy II – The mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth, so Hellboy and his team must save the world from the rebellious creatures.
- Big Trouble in Little China – An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown.
- Underworld – Selene is a beautiful vampire warrior entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. Although she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons.
- Underworld Evolution – Picking up directly from the previous film, vampire warrior Selene and the half werewolf Michael, hunt for clues to reveal the history of their races and the war between them.
- The Covenant – Four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy are forced to battle a fifth power long thought to have died out. Another great force they must contend with is the jealousy and suspicion that threatens to tear them apart.
- Groundhog Day – A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.
- Blood & Chocolate – A young teenage werewolf is torn between honoring her family’s secret and her love for a man.
- Blade – A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.
- Interview with the Vampire – A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
- Highlander – An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize”.
- Constantine – A man struggling with his faith is haunted by the sins of his past, but is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness.
What are some of your favorites?
I’m in the process of writing my third urban fantasy book, called “Egg of the Amphitere.” It’s from my Dragomeir Series which includes “The Emerald Dragon” and “Flight of the Aguiva.” If you like dragon books, or creatures like vampires, hellhounds and sabers, come check them out at my website
Solitaire
What is Urban Fantasy? – Part 1
Urban fantasy describes a work that is set primarily in the real world and contains aspects of fantasy. These matters may involve the arrivals of alien races, the discovery of earthbound mythological creatures, coexistence between humans and paranormal beings, conflicts between humans and malicious paranormals, and subsequent changes to city management. Many urban fantasy novels geared toward adults are told via a first-person narrative, and often feature mythological beings.
The term “urban fantasy” has been in use in print from as far back as the early 20th century. However, when used then, the term described a characteristic of some object or place. It was not until the 1980s that the term began to describe a style of fiction, written, performed in theatre, or filmed for Hollywood and television. The following sites each have a description of Urban Fantasy –
- http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/04/03/urban-fantasy/
- http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UrbanFantasy
- http://tracycooperposey.com/articles/articles-for-readers/what-is-urban-fantasy-anyway-urban-fantasy-in-the-romance-field-defined/
- http://bestfantasybooks.com/urban-fantasy.html
- http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2013/06/26/genre-guide-urban-fanstasy-for-teens/
- http://book-genres.com/urban-fantasy-definition/
Know of some other interesting sites? Please Share!
Solitaire
7 Quotes That Will Make You Smile :)
In the dragon books of the Dragomeir Series, the main character, Tanis, is a man of multiple talents. He is a Thaumaturgist and a skilled warrior, a mentor to others like him, and an amazing dragon rider with not one, but two dragons to manage on a day to day basis. Then there is his relationship to the Queen Mother, The Ariella, which has its ups and downs, making life very exciting, to say the least. So it’s a good thing he was blessed with a sense of humor. How could anyone survive without being able to laugh in the face of chaos and danger? So here are a few thoughts from the absurd but astute mind of Tanis Nickolai Theatra of “The Emerald Dragon” and “Flight of the Aguiva” –
- “With my luck it’s probably radioactive and will cause my future children to be born bald, with an intense urge to play the banjo.”
- “That would’ve been a herculean level of work for nothing. Although if it had, then I would be going back to bed to get a decent amount of sleep. And we all know that’s not going to happen. Jeans, Tanis shoes, and a T-shirt that states, “Tanis is Da Man” was as far as I wanted to go at the moment. Today’s forecast calls for “widely scattered labor, followed tonight by dried perspiration. Stay tuned for Sports.”
- “If you say something with enough fervor and enough times . . . you begin to believe.”
- “I must admit, I’ve never seen anything like that before. I told you I’d talk to the engineers, but after seeing that, do you really think I need to warn them about anything concerning the river, its speed or inhabitants? I think what you need to do is put a sign at the beginning of the corridor that states, CAUTION! Excessively dangerous river that runs so fast it probably kills the fish. Proceed at your own risk!”
- ” you know what they say . . . opinions are like navels, everyone has one.”
- “So, tell me . . . what’s the last thing to go through an insect’s mind when it hits the windscreen of a speeding car? Its butt – and I didn’t want to be an insect.”
Smile, it takes less muscles!
Solitaire
Solitaire Parke - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books 