Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Katie MacAlister to HJ!
Hi Katie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Day of the Dragon!
Please share a few Fun facts about this book…
There’s always a lot of serendipity that goes into writing a book, and DAY OF THE DRAGON was no different in that regard! Here’s a few examples of interesting things related to the book:
1. I wanted to dive into the backstory of just how and why dragon hunters were created, but I kept coming up against a rock in the form of the dragons themselves. What dragon in his or her right mind would let themselves be made part demon? That triggered the idea of one ancestor from which all the dragon hunters could be descended, and blammo! The story came pouring out.
2. The heroine, Thaisa, has my dream job: medieval researcher. I love history, especially medieval history, so I deliberately gave her a job that would let her fulfill all my historical fantasies. Well, many of them…
3. The manuscript leaf that everyone is after has its basis in a real object…kind of. When I settled on the leaf as a key to much needed information, I went looking for examples of real illuminated manuscripts, just so I could get the dimensions of the page correct, as well as the layout. I’ve long been interested in such things, and somehow—I don’t exactly know how this happened—I ended up on Ebay, having just purchased a leaf dated 1474. I’d like to blame Thaisa for my lack of sales resistance, but I suspect that’s not going to stand up to scrutiny.
4. The two ouroboros tribes mentioned in DAY OF THE DRAGON are something I’ve long wanted to do in my dragon world—I love the idea of outcast, lawless dragons running around on the fringes of both the mortal and immortal societies, and the storm dragons burst immediately to mind. Since I needed a light and dark element to go along with the theme of the book, that pointed me straight at the shadow dragons, which I happily created, feeling that the world is a better place with a few bad boy dragons in it.
5. Both the hero (Archer) and heroine (Thaisa) are polyglots, also something that I would love to be, but sadly, am not. As a medieval researcher, Thaisa has learned not only Latin, but several archaic Eastern European languages and dialects. The ones listed in DAY OF THE DRAGON are all real, all except Zilant, which is a language native to the dragonkin. Archer, of course, learned many languages over the long centuries of his life, a fact that makes him doubly enticing to Thaisa.
6. Bonus fact: the model on the cover of DAY OF THE DRAGON fit my mental image of Archer so well, I had a moment of disbelief. It was as if the art department found the one person who exactly matched Archer. It’s a bit spooky when you think about it…
Want to read an excerpt of Day of the Dragon?! Here you go!
A small group of people entered the bar, pausing at the entrance to glance around. There was something about the way the two men stood, looking as if they owned the place, their body language speaking loudly of arrogance and confidence. I nodded toward them. “Your Honor, I would like to enter into evidence Thigh Dress, Sparkle Bosom, Auburn Man With No Manners, and his friend Tall, Dark, and Possibly Dangerous, who at the very least isn’t beyond picking up a woman’s purse even if he doesn’t bother to look at her when he gives it back.”
Laura turned around to look at the foursome. Bree put both hands on the table and leaned across the glasses and plates to stare at them. “Holy shitsnacks,” Laura said, getting up and hurriedly moving over to my side of the table, taking the empty chair next to me so she could look without being obvious. “That red dress Sparkle Bosom is wearing is gorgeous. The thigh one isn’t half bad either, but would you look at those men? Hoobah! Which is the one who ran into you?”
“Auburn Hair,” I said, picking up a menu and pretending to look at it so I wasn’t staring so obviously at them.
“Man, he’s something, isn’t he? And the tall one isn’t bad either.”
“I like Tall, Dark, and Dangerous,” Bree said, still perched over the table. “He’s pretty. I like the way his hair swoops back. Men who have swoopy hair like that are usually really good lovers.”
“I like them both,” Laura said, making a little purring noise softly to herself as the foursome strolled toward us, clearly heading for a bank of booths behind me.
“Bree,” I whispered harshly, trying to get her to sit back in her chair lest they see her gawking, but she just stayed where she was, her face filled with merriment.
“Erp!” Laura said with a hiccup, and hid behind another menu.
The two ladies passed, the look on their faces reading smug enjoyment of being the center of attention. Auburn Hair was hot on their heels, saying over his shoulder in what I recognized as the archaic Old East Slavic language, “Take your enjoyment tonight. It will ease the sorrow.” The tall man trailed them, and it was he who gave Bree an odd look from the corner of his eye as he passed by.
“Hi,” she said, grinning like a maniac. “Nice tail.”
The man paused for a minute, his eyes first widening in surprise, then narrowing on her. Through the screen of my fingers, I could see that he had pale blue eyes, very pale, so pale that it was really just a ring of blue color on the outer edges of the irises, fading almost immediately into an icy gray just barely tinged with color.
“See?” Bree said, giving the four people a little wave before sitting down. “He noticed us. Thus and therefore, you were wrong, Thaisa.”
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Thanks for blogging at HJ!
Giveaway: Print copy of DAY OF THE DRAGON (Dragon Hunter #2)
To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Since I’ve admitted that Thaisa has my dream job, I’d love to know what job you’d have if nothing stood in your way.
Book Info:
With dragons like him, who needs enemies?
Real scholars know that supernatural beings don’t exist. But the moment I meet Archer Andras of the Storm Dragons, all my academic training goes out the window. Thanks to Mr. Tall, Dark, And Infuriating, I’m learning that I really should worry about those things that go bump in the night. . . and that dragons like Archer are 100 percent pure trouble.
Now I’m caught in the middle of a war. On one side is Archer. On the other is his twin brother. And I am the key to translating an ancient text that could bring balance-or deadly ruin-to our world. But none of that is as dangerous as the seriously sexy sparks between Archer and me. He’s too tempting to be real. Too gorgeous to trust. And when it comes to dragons, there’s no smoke without deadly fire.
Book link: https://www.read-forever.com/titles/katie-macalister/day-of-the-dragon/9781538761113/
Meet the Author:
About Katie MacAlister: With more than fifty books under her belt, Katie MacAlister’s novels have been translated into numerous languages, been recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and are regulars on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. A self-proclaimed gamer girl, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her dogs, and frequently can be found hanging around online. For more on Katie and her books, visit KatieMacAlister.com
Heidi
I’ve always been fascinated with medical field, surgery in particular. If nothing stood in my way, my dream job would be that of a scrub nurse.
Mary Preston
I’d be quite happy to be paid to read.
erahime
I guess the same…Like an interpreter of languages…?
Pamela Conway
Probably reading books for a living. Also buying a large piece of property & opening an animal rescue so I could help save as many dogs as possible.
Vanessa N.
I’d love to work taking care of baby animals.
Debra Guyette
I would have loved to be a forest ranger or naturalist.
Amy R
work in an independent bookstore
Joy Tetterton Avery
I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. I love taking care of people.
Glenda M
There’s a couple that could be complementary careers. I love research.and history so ‘your’ career combined with one as a travel writer where I could spend months at a time somewhere to really explore and enjoy the area.
Colleen C.
cartoonist
Shannon Capelle
Id love to own a bookstore slash coffee bakery in it and me and my 3 daughters would run it together!!
Daniel M
haven’t a clue
Lynne Brigman
I would be a CPA I have a degree in accounting but never went that far.
Lynne Brigman
I would love to be a CPA I have my degree in accounting just never went that far
parisfanca
working at the battersea home for dogs and cats as a dog walker
Nicole (Nicky) Ortiz
I’d like to travel and help other countries
Thanks for the chance!
Teresa Williams
I would own a used book store.
bn100
not sure
Mary C.
book restoration
Tammy Y
Own a bookstore
BookLady
I would love to have my own bookstore on a tropical island.
lorih824
Herbalist or doctor of functional medicine.
Jana Leah
I’d love to be a professional tourist.
Irma
I’d love to read and get payed for it, lol.
Janie McGaugh
When I was younger, I would have been astronaut. Now, I would be a librarian or bookstore owner!
isisthe12th
I would love to be a 5 star chef! Thank you
Barbara Bates
Would love to own a bookstore and call it Barbie’s Books and Collectables.
Stacey A Smith
wow that is a strong looking cover.I would be a owner of a book store.or if I could go back in time and finish school would have love to be a CSI Type that works on crime scenes.
Patricia Barraclough
I would love to have a job checking travel destinations. What are travel options, accommodations, places to eat, things to do for different types of travelers, and what people with mobility or other handicaps can do in different destinations?