The Wings of Dragons
Book One of The Dragoon Saga
Josh VanBrakle
YA Fantasy
Available at Amazon * B&N
Blurb from Goodreads
From fantasy author Josh VanBrakle comes the first volume in an epic new trilogy of friendship, betrayal, and explosive magic. Lefthanded teenager Iren Saitosan must uncover a forgotten history, confront monsters inspired by Japanese mythology, and master a serpentine dragon imprisoned inside a katana to stop a revenge one thousand years in the making.
Lodian history declares lefthanded people chaotic, dangerous, and devil-spawned, but Iren, the kingdom’s only known Left, thinks that’s an exaggeration. Sure, he loves pranking the residents of Haldessa Castle, but that’s harmless fun to get a little attention.
When one of his stunts nearly kills Lodia’s charismatic heir to the throne, Amroth Angustion, however, Iren confronts a no-win choice. To avoid execution, he must join a covert team and assassinate a bandit lord. The mission is suicidal, and Iren’s chances aren’t helped when he learns that his new katana imprisons a dragon’s spirit, one with a magic so powerful it can sink continents and transform Iren into a raging beast.
Adding to Iren’s problems, someone on the assassination team is plotting treason. When a former ally launches a deadly plan to avenge the Lefts, Iren finds himself trapped between competing loyalties, and the fates of two nations will depend on his choice.
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Interview with Author Josh VanBrakle
What
inspired you to write The Wings of
Dragons?
I started forming the ideas for The Wings of Dragons over a decade ago in high school. After I
graduated, though, I set it down in favor of college, career, and life in
general. I came back to it in 2011 thanks to a pair of coincidences. The first
is that my wife got a job working evenings, so I was suddenly on my own after
work. The second was seeing an article in a local paper for a writing workshop
series hosted by Shannon Delany, author of the 13 to Life series and the Weather
Witch series. I was looking for something to fill my evenings alone, and
after attending Shannon’s workshops, I was inspired. I dug up those old notes, brought
in my life experiences with forestry to improve my settings, and used Shannon’s
advice to hammer it all into a book. It was a wild two-year journey, but I’m
glad I went for it.
Tell
us about the main character in the story. Who is Iren Saitosan?
Iren Saitosan is 18 years old, and he’s the only
lefthanded person in his country. Lore where he lives says that lefthanded
people are demon-spawned, and as a result, Iren has lived an isolated life.
Hated and feared by everyone in Haldessa Castle, Iren starts off more immature
than his age suggests, and he commonly gets in trouble for pulling pranks on
the castle’s residents. At the same time, because of his suffering, there’s
part of him that yearns for companionship. He wants to trust others and help
people, but even he doesn’t realize it at first. When his reputation as a Left
gets him drafted into a dangerous mission, though, Iren finally becomes part of
a team. It’s a chance to form friendships, but it could also kill him. No one
on the team is who they appear to be, and to survive, Iren has to figure out
who – and how – to trust.
I
noticed this is book one of the Dragoon Saga. How many books do you have planned for the series?
Fantasy loves trilogies, so that’s what I’m shooting
for with the Dragoon Saga. That said,
I have some thoughts on other books that could connect to the main three if the
series takes off. At the least I’d like to do an origin story for one of my
female leads, Rondel Thara. She’s a deep, complicated character, and she wears
so many masks sometimes even I don’t know who she really is. I’d love to delve more
into her long and sometimes ugly past.
Do
you listen to music when you write? If so, what type of music provided
inspiration for The Wings of Dragons?
I’ve tried to listen to music when I write, but I
have this bad habit of getting distracted and singing along (badly). So I
stopped doing that. When I do listen to music, I’m open to a lot of styles, but
I especially enjoy classic rock.
Who
are some of your favorite authors/influences?
I guess I wouldn’t be a fantasy author if I didn’t
list Tolkien here. Like most who get into fantasy, The Hobbit was my introduction to it. I enjoy injecting suspense
and mystery into my novels to keep the reader guessing, so I’m also inspired by
works in those genres. A few of my favorites are Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming,
and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Finally, this list wouldn’t be complete without
mentioning Shannon Delany. Shannon mostly writes YA paranormal romance, which
is not usually my genre. But Shannon hosted the 2011 writing workshop series
that inspired me to finish The Wings of
Dragons and get it published. She’s a skilled writer, a giving person, and
without her, you wouldn’t be reading these words right now. If you haven’t
picked up her latest novel Weather Witch,
I recommend it.
What
do you do when not writing?
At this point I still work a day job at a nonprofit
promoting farm and forest conservation, so that and writing take up most of my
time. When I can get a few minutes, though, I enjoy reading, hiking, kayaking,
nature photography, and doing just about anything outdoors.
What’s
next for you as a writer?
I have a couple projects going right now. The first
is the sequel to The Wings of Dragons,
which is now in revisions. I hope to see that released in 2015. I’ve also
started a non-fiction book based on my first career (forestry). That project is
still in drafting stage, but I’m very excited about it. There are a lot of big
changes happening in our forests, and the story isn’t being told. I feel like
forests are waiting for their Rachel Carson, someone who can tell the complexities
of what’s happening in the environment in a way that the public can understand
and that inspires them to act. I don’t know if I’m that person, but I want to
give it my best shot.
Do
you have any advice for new writers just entering the shark infested waters?
I could put far more here than would ever fit into
an interview, most of it from the long list of mistakes I’ve made along the
way. In the interest of brevity, perhaps the best advice I could give is “Let
yourself fail.” You will write a lot of junk before you write something decent.
Don’t sweat it. I’ve learned far more from my failures than I have from my successes.
A book that inspired me while I was on my journey
with The Wings of Dragons was Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. I recommend
this book to writers and to anyone who wants to excel in their field. One story
from it in particular always stands out to me. Toward the end, Colvin talks
about female Olympic ice skaters. Think about these poor women for a minute.
They go out there on the hard ice every day in a skimpy outfit with no padding
whatsoever, and then they try to do jumps and spins and other moves that would
put me on my butt. And you know what happens? They fall on their butts too.
They fall on their butts over and over and over again. It’s only because they
keep falling that when they finally get to a competition, they don’t fall and
in fact make every move look effortless.
Do you want to succeed as a writer? It’s easy. Just
fall on your butt ten thousand times.
This
or That
Paper
or ebook?
I read both, but I prefer paper. I’m just old
fashioned that way. It’s one of my dreams to have a library in my home with the
walls lined with shelves full of books.
Mac
or PC?
I use a PC, much to the dismay of both my wife and
cover designer. I have no problem with Macs, but I’ve grown up with PCs and am
much more familiar with the nuances of Windows.
Forests
or Mountains?
Yes! I love nature in all its forms. Even though I
wound up writing fantasy, my first career was in forestry, and that’s also what
I went to college for. I still work at an environmental non-profit, and most of
my hobbies involve the outdoors. I also live in the Catskill Mountains, which
are heavily forested, so it’s like getting the best of both.
Sunrise
or Sunset?
I’m a late riser, so I’m going to say sunset. I’d
love mornings, if only they didn’t come so early in the day!
Coffee
or Tea?
Neither. As my wife will tell you, I’m a hot cocoa
kind of guy, especially around the holidays. I think it comes from growing up
in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I’m pretty sure there’s chocolate in my veins from
all the years I spent there.
City
or Country?
I love living in the country. Life moves at a little
slower pace here, and I find it more relaxing, which helps me write. Plus,
since I love the outdoors, living in a rural area puts nature a lot closer.
Chocolate
or Vanilla?
Which one do you have more of?
Movies
or TV?
I don’t watch a lot of either to be honest. I just
don’t have time. We’re still one of those families that only gets channels 2-12
(seriously). That said, there are a few TV shows I enjoy. I prefer shows that
are serial in nature so that I get a chance to grow along with the characters,
much like in a book. But I also enjoy movies because they give you a chance in
just a couple hours to see the full arc of a story. I actually learned how to
pace my novels from watching great movies like Shrek and How to Train Your
Dragon. I studied at what times in these movies different parts of the
plot, like twists or turning points, happened. It’s paid off too. One of the
most common compliments I get regarding my work is that its fast pace keeps
readers guessing and engaged.
Dragons
or Griffins?
I’m pretty sure the answer on this is obvious. I’ve
always had a thing for dragons. I think it comes from my childhood obsession
with dinosaurs. As a kid, I wanted to dig up dinosaur bones, and I even learned
to read using dinosaur books (they always put the phonetic spellings after
those crazy names!). Dinosaurs still fascinate me, and a flying, fire-breathing
dinosaur? That’s just straight up awesome.
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About the Author
Josh
VanBrakle is an unrepentant lefty who is overjoyed to live in an age when
authors can type their stories instead of handwriting them. His love of fantasy
and science fiction, kindled by The Lord
of the Rings and Star Wars, led
to a dream of publishing a novel that refused to let itself get pushed aside. A
late-bloomer to writing professionally, Josh first trained in forestry and
economics. In his day job, Josh works for an environmental non-profit promoting
farmland and forest conservation. When he’s not working or writing, Josh enjoys
reading, hiking, kayaking, and nature photography. Originally from Hershey,
Chocolatetown USA, Josh now lives in the Catskills region of upstate New York
with his wife Christine and their two ill-behaved cats.
Website
Goodreads Author Page
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Excerpt
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Descent into Darkness
After a hasty breakfast
at dawn, Balear and the others headed to the entrance to Veliaf’s mine. Hardly
an elegant structure, the mine’s opening was nothing more than a large hole in
the ground covered with a pair of hinged wooden doors that swung to either
side. Next to the doors sat a gargantuan chunk of blue stone with heavy ropes
and pulleys wrapped around it. Dirio explained that it had come from a slag
pile near the mine’s entrance. Balear wondered how many villagers it had taken
to haul the boulder over the entrance.
Captain Angustion
motioned for Dirio to take the lead alongside him. Rondel came next, still
grinning in that way that made Balear want to punch her in the face. The Castle
Guard’s code forbade him to strike a woman, in particular an old woman, but
Rondel really, really pushed him. After her display yesterday, though, Balear was
in no mood to challenge her.
The captain had ordered
Balear and Iren to serve as rear guard. They hadn’t seen any more Quodivar in
the village, but that didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t there. Moreover,
even if the bandits Rondel had killed yesterday were the only Quodivar left in
Veliaf, the spiderweb of mine passages could hide any number of them.
Niecey Roy knew she wanted to be a writer from a very young age, but her moment of enlightenment came after watching the movie You’ve Got Mail. It was then she realized her place in life, and happily parked her butt on writing romance. Her dream was to create sexy vixens, hunky, half-naked heroes, and above all, romance; lots and lots of butterflies in the belly, breathless first kisses and happily-ever-afters.
