Blog Archives
New Novel on the Horizon
It’s about time for another novel, this time Part Two of the Daughter of the Dark Lord Series. The first book, Daughter of the Dark Lord – Part One – The Burning Sky, has been out for a while now, and is available at a variety of locations – all of which can be reached from my website – www.solitaireparke.com.
I am very anxious for you to read the Daughter of the Dark Lord books as they are the prequels to my previously published Dragomeir Series – a must read for anyone who loves dragons and other wonderful creatures – also available at my website. I’ve always been intrigued by dragons. They are magnificent creatures who interact in the most extraordinary ways with their riders and fellow beings, and have characteristics that are remarkably like humans at times. They’re really quite wonderful, contrary to all the bad press they’ve been given so much of the time.
The second book in the series, Daughter of the Dark Lord – Part Two – The Alberra Project, is almost finished, I am happy to say. These last few months have been a bit crazy, as life and the consequent stress of other projects seemed to take over from time to time, but I am hard at work on Book Two and it has progressed quite nicely. So, before long it will move forward into editing mode, there will be a cover reveal, and it should be out before year’s end.
In the meantime, check out my other books at www.solitaireparke.com.
Solitaire
Happy Summer Reading!
SECRETS IN THE DESERT
SECRETS IN THE DESERT
Mount Manchester is the highest peak in the Dead Mountains of extreme northeastern San Bernardino County, California in the Mojave Desert. The Dead Mountains are 12 miles northwest of Needles, California. It is the highest point at 3,598 feet. The Dead Mountains border the Colorado River on the east, and the Piute Wash of the Piute Valley on the west. Piute wash drains south, then turns east for 8 miles at the south of the range to meet the Colorado River.
Tanis, the lead character of the book,”Egg of the Amphitere,” is shocked to find a massive artifact depot deep inside the Mojave Desert. He is even more shocked to discover he has inherited its contents. A secret kept from him since he became a Thaumaturgist/Machinist, Tanis is overwhelmed by the vastness of the icons and technology held within its walls.
Once there, he determines the artifact depot is under Mt. Manchester, accessible only from the Thaumaturgists headquarters located in Phoenix Arizona.
The technology found within its caverns becomes instrumental not only to Tanis, but to the inhabitants of Mt. Drago as they struggle to keep the Dark Lord at bay.
I’ve always looked at the artifact depot as a combination of Warehouse 13, and the alternate dimensional library of ancient antiquities.
To uncover the secrets hidden in the mountain you’ll need to check out my forthcoming book,
“Egg of the Amphitere” which will be available in November. To purchase the previous
Dragomeir Series books,
“The Emerald Dragon” and
“Flight of the Aguiva”
go to my website and you will find them at a variety of places –
Solitaire
“Flight of the Aguiva” Update
Well, we’re almost there. “Flight of the Aguiva” has moved into the second wave of editing and beta reading. From the author’s point of view, that’s like beating it on a rock to see if it’ll break. Once it’s past that, we’re pretty much home free. A big shout out to the beta readers, you guys rock! I truly believe it’s harder to edit a book than it is to write one. Without the editing staff, no one’s book would ever make it to the light of day, so thanks again guys.
I’ll put up the release date just as soon as the editors tell me, so check back often. Thank you for the continued support of the Dragomeir Series.
Solitaire . . .
Holidays at Mt.Drago
In The Dragomeir Series, Book One – “The Emerald Dragon,” most of the dwellers of Mt. Drago are technically not from around Arizona or even from earth for that matter. The ones that are from here celebrate holidays in the same way as those who live in the smaller world. Good examples of that would be people like Bob Harris, and Ivory McNeil, both of whom came to the mountain from known places like Chicago and New York. During holidays like the one coming up, Thanksgiving, they celebrate in the same traditional ways that other people have for decades. Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and all of the trimmings served by the resident Stewards will be held this year at Mt. Drago on November, 27th 2014 at around noon. Hope to see you there! Turkey roasted over an open fire . . . nothing better!
DRAGOMEIR SERIES – Creature Features – “The Chosen”
This time with Creature Features I thought we’d take a look at The Chosen. They appear in “The Emerald Dragon,” and play a rather prominent role in the total scheme of things. When Tanis asked The Chosen who they were, he got back a somewhat cryptic answer. They told him, “We are called the Chosen and what we are . . . is cursed. We are the descendants of the last ruling class from the city of Tadmur. ” An unusual beginning for an unusual people.
The Chosen are the descendents of an ancient race of people that originated from the city of Tadmur, which was located in the country known as Syria. Syria is a country in Western Asia basically bordered by Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea on the West, Turkey on the North, Iraq on the East, and Jordan on the South. Hundreds of years ago, the Capitol city of Syria, Tadmur, was abandoned due to several reasons, the greatest being an environmental one. Jeremy, the top General of The Chosen, said it was a flooding issue, but there was also an impending war that Syria couldn’t win. The ruling class made it out, but sadly they were about the only ones who did. The ruling class became nomadic and the next hundred years were not kind to them. It was about that time that the first of them contracted Porphyria, and even though they took precautions thinking it was probably airborne, it didn’t do any good. Before they knew what hit them, it was widespread. They believed it was punishment for them abandoning the city, but it was too late to do anything that could potentially regain that loss. They believed themselves to be doomed. To keep it from spreading, they stayed away from any known populace and within a short period of time they were all but forgotten.
Porphyria has several different strains, but all of them are caused by genetic abnormalities and chemically bound to the production of Heme. Heme is a vital molecule found in the liver, bone marrow and most importantly, the blood. In the end they cannot produce plasma or red blood cells, and if not treated, it can be fatal. Other symptoms that are prevalent include pale skin, extended canine teeth, pronounced cranial hair growth and the utter loss of pigmentation. Hence, they have very thick, platinum blond hair and pale blue eyes. The things that don’t show directly are enhanced strength and hyper abilities, such as augmented speed. The muscle tissue over time becomes dense, which makes it more difficult to be harmed by impacts of all sorts. The down side is that they have also become disastrously light sensitive, to the point of rapid burns if out in the sunlight. In short, the Vampire legends were true. Below is the Hollywood version, and then the “Emerald Dragon” version of The Chosen.
Book Two of the Dragomeir Series, “Flight of the Aguiva,” Update!
Greetings Everyone!
It’s true, “The Emerald Dragon” is finished and available everywhere, but the story is just getting started. Book Two of the Dragomeir Series is fast approaching the finish line, and hopefully, will be out around the first of next year. It is entitled, “Flight of the Aguiva,” and is the continuing saga of Tanis, the rider to the Emerald Dragon, Demios. A new species of dragon will be introduced, as well as the addition of a breed of Saber Tooth Tiger.
More battles, more discoveries, and the return of some extremely colorful characters from “The Emerald Dragon,” are just some of the exciting twists and turns coming out of Mt. Drago.”
I hope you will follow the search for the second of the Crystal Keys and help the Dragons save the day again.
Solitaire . . .
DRAGOMEIR SERIES – Weapons of War
The number one weapon talked about, hated and loved in “The Emerald Dragon” has got to be the Projector. It comes in a variety of sizes, but the most feared has got to be the Projector Station. It can hit and injure a dragon in the air at several thousand feet. Its travel through the air is silent and swift. Unlike some of the other weapons used by Queen Mother’s troops, the Projector is low tech and easy to manufacture, although somewhat difficult to move to remote areas.
Pictured below is an example of the dreaded Projector Station.
The Projector Station is very similar to its distant cousin, the hand held Projector. They both fire bolts, just of radically different sizes. The amount of pressure is adjustable up to but not to exceed, the tinsel strength of the tangs and the bow ropes. The bolt travel is close to the speed of a bullet and the barbed point of the bolt makes it difficult to remove.
The Projector itself is aimed by a metal hoop that extends from top to bottom at the back of the mechanism. The operator places one foot at the bottom and both hands at the top to swivel and vertically aim the device. The base is generally affixed to the ground by a series of stakes driven deep into the ground. The bolts are three inches in diameter and up to four feet in length.
Here is an example of the kind of Projector Bolt used by the demons on the Provinces of Hell.
The barb at the tip of the bolt varies in design, depending on use. The bolt pictured has an open faced barb. It is much simpler to remove but allows blood to flow more freely after penetration. Stay posted for future information on Weapons of War!
DRAGOMEIR SERIES – Creature Features!
I have been asked by several people if I could give some insight into the creatures living in Mt. Drago. So I thought we’d start with the Hellhounds. Now for those who have not yet read “The Emerald Dragon,” the Hellhounds were helped by Queen Mother to make a mass exodus from the Provinces of Hell to Mt. Drago.
There, they took up shop in an area of the mountain called Tarin’s Gallery. The Hellhounds are a genetically altered species that started off with a considerable amount of Pit Bull in the heritage. No one is really sure what else besides wolf went into the mixture, but what we do know is that they went after size and stamina. The full grown males of this species top over three hundred pounds, stand about five feet tall and can run for days. They are predominately brown in color with brown eyes. They sport an opposing thumb and forefinger and have sparse uneven hair over their bodies, which are brown in color.
What the Dark Lords didn’t expect was in part the unknown factor mentioned previously, and what they got was a species on the fast track to sentience. Ten generations later they were no longer the trusted pet dog. Through sheer will and a lot of death and destruction they managed to escape to another of the Provinces, where they would be almost impossible to defeat.
By the eleventh generation they were not only intelligent, but self aware and very unhappy with the Dark Lords. That’s where Queen Mother entered the picture and gave them an opportunity they couldn’t ignore.
The Hellhounds of today are drastically different than the ones written about in history. The ones in Mt. Drago would rather not fight; they are vegetarians and prefer to stay in one place to rear their children. They are deeply spiritual and have a great sense of humor. To find out more about these creatures you can read the first book of the Dragomeir Series, “The Emerald Dragon,” or leave me a comment and I will be happy to answer any questions!
