A True Cliché: Gone by Not Forgotten
I have a dear friend who has published over 102 books with Silhouette/Harlequin. Joan Elliott Pickart is one of those authors that inspire all of us to keep writing, no matter what. And I’ve told her countless times: I wanna be like you when I grow up!
But Joan is just one of many authors who are Inspirations, and in Nov. 2011 we lost one of the great ones. Anne McCaffrey passed at age 85. The “Dragon Lady”, the “Mistress of Pern”, and the FIRST woman author to win the top two prizes for Science Fiction writing, the HUGO and the NEBULA, in 1968 and 1969.
I can remember the first time I picked up “Dragonflight”. A true Book-a-Holic, I was devouring books and already getting the “seed of an idea” to write my own. I became immediately engrossed and happily lost in the fascinating world of Pern. This wasn’t your usual “fantasy dragon story”, no fairy tales here. Instead you are immersed in a complicated science fiction world that has more depth than at first comprehended. I have to admit that I skipped over alot of “stuff” I didn’t fully understand, and concentrated more on the dragons’ stories. Ahh, the dragons! Incredible flying creatures, of all shapes, sizes and colors. I couldn’t get enough of them. Couldn’t choose a favorite because I loved them all! Inspiration finally struck and I sat down to write my own dragon stories. Lucky for the reading world, those stories were eventually filed away in the garbage (LOL) but they were FUN to write!
I never lost that fascination with Anne’s Dragons of Pern. I devoured —er—read all her books, and still dreamed of writing my own. But it wasn’t until years, and eight published books, later that I finally wrote my own Dragon story. Inspired by Anne to create something “different” for my dragons, I created a Clan of Dragon Shapeshifters who live on a private Compound in the mountains, and although they mingle with the humans in the city below, they strive every day to keep their heritage a secret.
SURRENDER HER TOUCH was Released Dec. 7, 2011 from Eternal Press. It’s a Paranormal Romance, with a sexy Dragon Shapeshifter as the hero. When the Dragon ruler is struck by a mysterious illness threatening his life, the hero Slade has to convince the only woman capable of healing dragon shifters to save the ruler’s life. But Summer isn’t exactly willing to help. Her memories of a horrific past are tied in with the dragon shifters and she would rather see them all dead. Add more mystery, magic, evil, danger, death, and a sensual love-and-hate battle between Slade and Summer, and you’ve got a Dragon Romance that promises to be a page tuner!
So, in final, a heartfelt thanks to great authors like Anne McCaffrey who inspired us all to be creative in our writing. She gave us a world of Dragons that will never be forgotten.
Happy Reading HUGS!
Kari www.authorkari.com
