Publisher: Shirley’s Book (July 23, 2022)
Category: Sword & Sorcery, Fantasy/Romance
Tour dates: January 3-31, 2023
ASIN: B0B7GMCDJ5
Available in ebook only, 220 pages
Description Princess Adele's Dragon by Shirley McLain
Review Princess Adele's Dragon by Shirley McLain
Review by Suzie
I read this book all of the way through in one sitting
because I couldn't put it down! 'Princess Adele's Dragon (Witches and Dragons
Book 1') by Shirley McLain is one of the most thrilling stories that I have
read in 2022, and I think if you pick it up you'll immediately see why.
This book does not skimp on the action, immediately
bringing you into the world of the kingdom of Valdoria, right when the king is
in the middle of making a huge and terrible decision. The king realizes that he
must sacrifice a child to the dragon that has been terrorizing their kingdom
for years, in order to appease it.
The king's sister, Princess Adele is obviously
horrified by this prospect and privately vows to slay the dragon herself to
spare the child. But, upon seeking out the dragon and seeing it in person,
something stays Adele's hand.
She suddenly feels that she knows the dragon, and when
she feels moved enough to kiss it's cheek, it transforms back into the shape of
her long missing fiancé. Prince Anthony has been missing for six years, ever
since one of the king's advisers enlisted the help of a local hag to turn him
into a dragon, and now that he is back in his human form, Anthony and Adele
realize that they must stop the king's adviser before he and his lover steal
the throne for themselves.
I am not normally much of a fantasy reader, but I enjoyed this immensely and found myself more than ready for the next book in the series, whenever that may be coming. There was much to love here and much to be excited about! Five stars for this action-packed fantasy novel!
Guest Post by Shirley McLain
My writing WorldFirst, let me thank My Tangled Skein Book Reviews for letting me visit everyone today. I began writing full-time when I retired from being an RN (registered nurse). I woke up one morning with a story on my mind. I haven’t stopped since. I love telling stories.
I am a “pantster.” Let me educate you if you don’t know what a pantster is. It has no formal structure, such as everything plotted out, characters, storyline, etc. I write when I sit at the computer, and my muse feeds it. That’s not to say I don’t get stuck. I have to back away from the writing and give it a rest. When I return to it, I have the answers I need.
Book writing is fun for me. I find my world in what I read and write. I’m an eclectic writer. I write in every genre, but fantasy and gothic romance are my favorites.
I must confess that I build new worlds sparingly. I try to let my readers build the world they see when they read my stories. I create the characters and the setting.
Princess Adele’s Dragon is based in the fantasy world of Valdoria. I imagined it to be in the northern section of some medieval world full of evil men, good guys, catapults for war, dragons, kings, princesses, and a castle. As you read my words, you can create any scene to go along with my story that your imagination comes up with. Building a world depends on what the readers make of it and my descriptions.
This article is from a Master Class I took, published in August 2021. I find it very useful.
5 Essential Elements of a Fantasy World
The fantasy genre often has elements of science fiction, magic, or imaginative creatures—but it’s more than writing every fictional element you can think up. The world of your fantasy novel, video game, television show, or film must make sense for the rest of its parts to work in harmony.
Some elements to consider when crafting your fantasy world:
1. Magic: Decide if there is a magic system in place, then set the rules of it. What powers it? Is it a secret? Can anyone use it?
2. Geography: It may help create a fantasy map. Identify major landmasses and historic sites. How does the landscape impact the plot or the characters? What is the climate like? You can get as specific as identifying the indigenous flora and fauna, even if you don’t use those details. As a world-builder, you can include as much or as little in your process and final version as you like—as long as your story comes together in a way that makes sense for the audience.
3. Society: Figure out the inhabitants of your fantasy world. What language do they speak? What do they look like? Are they humanlike? Are they creature-like? What sort of culture do they have? How have previous historical events affected the way they live now?
4. History: While you need not outline the beginning of your world’s history to the end, it’s helpful to know of key events like wars, plagues, political strife, extraterrestrial invasions, or anything else that affects the way your world operates now.
5. Time: How does it flow in your world? Is there a calendar? Are there seasons? What affects the light and the darkness?
How to Create a Fantasy World
There are many avenues for writing fantasy worlds, and you can start with whichever part you like first:
1. Use real life as inspiration. That doesn’t mean taking people from existing ethnic groups and putting costumes on them—but observing how other cultures live and interact with their environments. By incorporating real life into your fantasy book, you can avoid falling into tropes and clichĂ©s, and create a richer template for your characters and plot to thrive in.
2. Define the setting. A good starting point when creating a fantasy story is the universe itself. Is this an imaginary world existing within our own world? Is it a fictionalized version of a real-world place? Or is it its own new world? Please describe the landscape, its colors, or how many suns and moons it has. Any details that can help make your fantasy world feel more like real-life, to help ground it in something believable, will make a difference in how your audience feels and experiences it.
3. Create inhabitants. A fantasy world has more than one type of inhabitant. They can differ vastly from one another, or only have subtle contrasts. Inhabitants also include the antagonists. Make them more than one-dimensional bad guys—give them motivation relevant to their world.
4. Make magic. Start your magic system if there is one. Write its limits, along with its capabilities. Such as, in Harry Potter, magic interferes with the performance of electronics, which is why technological devices powered by electricity don’t work at Hogwarts. Magic needs rules to function correctly in your fantasy world. While you don’t need to include a list of laws in your writing, using it must make them apparent.
The world you create is built one step at a time. It’s your world, so make it what you want.
About Shirley McLain
Shirley McLain is a retired RN, wife, mother, and grandmother of six and Great Grandmother to four, three boys and one girl.
She is currently living in Sapulpa, Oklahoma where she is enjoying her retirement to the fullest. She was born in California but lived her growing years in Oklahoma. She has done extensive travel within the United States and learned to appreciate each state for its own beauty. Her dream trip is to see Spain and Italy at a slow pace.
Shirley has published a young adult mystery called “Crimes and Retribution”, a book of short stories called, “Shirley’s Short’s and Flashes” and a Christian poetry book called, “Verses For My King.” “Dobyns Chronicles” is a historical fiction in which you follow a family through troubling times. She has published her educational fiction about Bullying. It is for ages 10 to Adult to help them deal with bullying in school. She is now working on a book of short stories called “Shirley’s Compilation of Short Stories,” which is stories of different genres. She plans on having this book out in December 2022.
Shirley’s love of travel, adventure and writing have created works that will hold your attention, and leave you wanting more.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShirleyMcLain93
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShirleysBooks/
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I'm so glad you enjoyed 'Princess Adele's Dragon'! Thanks so mch for hosting Shirley!
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