Becca Mann

If you are like me and like to reread books to find clues and themes that you did not catch initially, this book is for you!  It’s written for kids who love adventure and fantasy.  I did not write it with a lesson in mind.  I wrote it like the books that I love to read!  I love to reread books that have hidden clues to events that will occur later in the plot.  I think my story does a great job secretly foreshadowing, which is one of my favorite things about it.

Also, all the dragon’s names are in Dragontongue, so the reader will not know what their names technically mean until they can decode the language.  Readers will learn more about deciphering it in the second book, but many of my fans have still managed to write to me in Dragontongue!  It adds another dimension to my book. People love learning about the little things that are in the first book, like the plural of “mofek” is “mofekj”!

There are other aspects that are pretty cool, too.  For example, the story of the various swords used by the tribesfolk are interesting and  unique.  You learn the story of Kale’s sword, which is meaningful in the book and in the future books.  You may not understand it in your first read, though.

Then there are many characters, some of whom don’t have a big part in this story.  I remember how, in the first Harry Potter book, Blaise Zabini is mentioned during the Sorting Ceremony, but we don’t see him again until book six.  I love that!  I love finding all the hidden treats in books.  Some of my characters are like Blaise Zabini – they’re introduced in the first book, but you won’t see a real purpose for them until later in the trilogy.

Then there are the tribes and dissecting their qualities.  They all have different traditions and purposes.  All the people have names specific to their tribes – the people of one tribe all have names that start with V, and the other three tribes have Irish names, Hawaiian names, and English names.  The tribes have distinguishing insults and different fashion styles.  They hunt and eat food unique to their respective territories.

Of course there is the straight up adventure, honesty, loyalty, deceit and daring.  Kale hides the fact she is a girl so she can train as a warrior.  This is illegal as girls aren’t expected to go on adventures.  She gets stuck in dark and rank tunnels for days, sees people killed, nearly loses an eye, and has a dragon haunt her in her dreams, all while losing her friends and feeling responsible for bringing war to Quanx.  She questions her actions and motives which change as the book progresses. She makes loyal friends and scary enemies.

One of my characters, Paka, has a big backstory, but there are too many secrets to highlight Paka here. Readers are saddened by Paka’s story and want to know how she came to be the person she is.  I wonder what they will think about Paka in book two!

Sawyer is another character everyone has an opinion about.  I am always curious about what readers think of him and whether or not they think he is good by the end.  He is certainly a victim of his circumstances and you are hopeful when he makes the right choices and disappointed when he doesn’t.

I could go on and on about everyone in the book.  Tyler has been a common favorite. As you learn in the book, he likes to protect his eye color.  He is one character who remains true to his goodness. I have been told Brandon, Velvet, Vulia and Winikona are favorites as well!

The eye color distinguishing a person is woven in.  It’s speculated that dragon eye color may mean something. Tribes like to match their horses to their eyes. Tyler hides a big secret – his eyes change with what he wears.  He was hoping to grow out of it.

I love how my story ends!  It is not what the reader hopes for or thinks the outcome will be. I am told there are many twists that are not suspected. I keep getting emails about where people can sign up to get the next novel once it’s completed!