I was struck by two conflicting pieces of advice yesterday about writing. One was on that pit of risks, the internet. The other was, in all places, the middle of a university seminar. It wasn’t even an English Literature class.

Firstly, the internet. I am sure I was not the only one to come across (in my opinion) the rather delightful piece of news that J. K. Rowling is writing a book for adults. It will be intriguing to see how she branches out away from children’s literature territory. Purely from a writer’s point of view, I am terrifically excited for her. But what about her readers? Well, you might imagine a typical reaction. ‘Don’t do it!’ scream the sceptics. ‘Good for you!’ shrieks her adoring fan-base. But I was actually encouraged to see a lot of support for this idea following the news article, judging by readers’ comments. I’m never one to query the Goddess Rowling and I shall be one of the majority eagerly anticipating a new project from her, both as a writer and a reader. Good on her for exploring new ideas. There were a few commentators who argued that she will never surpass Harry Potter, and they may for ever more compare sales, not to mention ideas, to the schoolboy wizard’s success. But does she have to surpass? Can’t she write for herself? Authors don’t wish to be typecast, the same as actors don’t wish for it. Michelle Paver wrote five books for adults before beginning her children’s series. When starting out, I wrote two historical novels and then experimented with fantasy. Dabbling around with projects help you to decide the kind of writing you enjoy. On one flip-side of the coin, the writer writes for themselves, their need to pick up the pen and see ideas flowing.

On the other side of the coin, authors may enjoy sticking to one style, and there is not a thing wrong with that. Carole Matthews is well-known for her romantic comedies and has found a niche. Philippa Gregory writes historical fiction. Ian McEwan relishes unfortunate events occurring at a certain time and place. Jodi Picoult continually writes such stories that, if they were true, would find themselves in the “Sad Lives” section of the bookshop. In fact, I often find myself buying books purely on the back of the authors’ names. I’m waiting for Michelle Paver’s next set of children’s stories, Ian McEwan’s next novel, and for Yann Martel’s next project, whatever that may be. (However, a word of caution here. Nothing can live up to the spectacular Life of Pi. I picked up Beatrice and Virgil purely because Martel had written it and when I’d finished, wanted to chuck it straight under the path of the nearest passing bus. Perhaps, then, it isn’t always wise to go for a book because a certain person has written it. A university friend has sworn never to buy another Jodi Picoult because she was so let down by one of the novels. And this is where it starts to feel personal and a connection forged. We like to pretend there isn’t, but there really is.)

On to the second piece of advice. ‘Don’t ever stray!’ barked a lecturer in one of my university classes. ‘You are writing for your readers, not for you!’ I nearly fell off my chair. That had contradicted everything I had ever learned to feel about the writing process. Fine, the end process comes up all nicely air-brushed, edited, formatted and scrubbed to high heaven, all for the benefit of making your readers happy. But the starting process isn’t for the readers. Nobody ever became an author because they didn’t want to. Forcing someone to write a certain style when they don’t enjoy it is like … well, I don’t wish to insult you all with a cheap cliché. But was the lecturer right in a certain way? Do readers want their authors to stick to a specific subject matter? Well, of course some do. Ask any author who have successfully made a living out of it how their readers have reacted to them. I personally think the ‘Don’t ever stray” spin was going a bit too far, however …

 So what to do? I am in the fortunate position of being able to choose which option I take. Having just finished one major project, I might stick with fantasy. Equally, I might want to try a new style, perhaps a book for adults, a book for younger children, a romantic comedy or a mystery. I am exceedingly lucky and may find my own niche along the way. It might even be the readers who decide it for me. I have always said it was the readers who make it happen and I trust them to choose whether they like a certain book or not. In this case, I am indeed writing for my readers, and the lecturer was correct. But in all cases, to really feel a book, I am writing for me, and only me. I can tell the world about it, yet it was my idea and my creation to nurture. That is the true joy of being a writer. 

No, I haven’t become confused with an Oscar Wilde text! Some things in your life are so taken for granted that they are unconsciously and constantly with you. What do I mean by things in your life being constant? Well, that might be up to you. Those two cups of coffee in the morning, the bike ride to work on a beautifully frosty day, the weekend trips to the hills, and picnicking in the park with friends. Maybe that secret guilty pleasure of wine, takeaway and a DVD box-set every Friday night. Pleasurable things that define you, and create your experiences of life.

 For those that know me well, I’d hope that they would say that writing was one of the constants in my life. Through the changes of the last few years, through university, teacher training and my first job, writing stories was my constant and acts as a therapy, and it is something I have always done. A current change in my life at the moment is a move to London. I couldn’t help but feel a little reflective tonight, thinking of home and friends left behind, and I began to think of the Dragon Speaker trilogy as something that would also soon go. I had nurtured it, and let it spread its wings (apologies for the pun!) and released it into the eyes and minds of readers. Like any writer who has spent a long time with their creations, I wait in pleasure and also with a little bit of fear as to what I will do with my pen and paper when the third book too has been received.

 I’m sure I will always continue writing for as long as I have ideas, and I have so many that it is important I don’t take them for granted or think that I can put them on hold because I can’t. That way, madness (and writers’ block) lies. For instance, on one occasion, I ignored what was in my head and their internal cries of ‘I’m here! I’m here! Write me down!’ and carried on with life as normal. Alas! When I decided I should get myself in gear, I had forgotten them, even with the baffling scribbles on post-it notes that I just could no longer make any sense of. When you don’t regularly practise your craft, it certainly isn’t going to sit around patiently waiting for you in return.

 The Dragon Speaker trilogy is finished now, the whole saga ended on a day back in late 2010. Book Three was actually brought to its conclusion in 2009, but as is the habit of writers, I spent a lot of time editing, chopping and changing on all three books. They really did become an extremely vital part of my life. After I finished feeling emotionally battered, and before the days of Kindle, I remembered a saying from a writing book that I will paraphrase here: ‘The world hasn’t been waiting with bated breath for your book … but you have.’ It was true.

Tafari’s story has come to a close but not, I would hope, other projects that may spring from it. In the third book, Tafari also finds himself with a life-changing decision and must choose a way forward and see what is around the corner. One of Tafari’s constant characteristics which I have always admired is his tenacity and how he will strive to do the right thing. And so, as I say a goodbye to him and his friends (my friends,) I already have the stirring of new seeds waiting to be sown and ideas for new projects. This time, I’m not going to ignore them. 

In commemorating the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon, what better time than to continue investing in the Dragon Speaker trilogy, exploring the unique characters of the dragons themselves? I want to take this time to discuss four of them in particular. My four Element Dragons, the namesake of the first book “The Balance of Four”, and the creatures who provide the essential background to the entire saga. I have discussed the motives and tendencies of the protagonist Tafari, and his three companions Melchior, Eirian and Vidar – but rarely so far touched upon the Four Element Dragons. To those who have not yet read the books, they are strangers. Who are they really? Why do they matter so? 

Tuathal and Valentia, the gods of the world, know well their creations and understand all Four Element Dragons. They know their strengths, their flaws and their failings. Tuathal in particular sees the nature of the Four Elements and senses they are at odds from the moment of their Creation. It is he who gives the Four their wild inclinations against his mate’s Valentia’s wishes, and sets the course for their future.          

 On the very first page, Vulcan is created. Like his Roman namesake, he represents the dangers and the devotion toward fire. The dragon gods who crafted him rely on him to make the sun set and rise and guide its path across the sky. His dwelling is, of course, a volcano, derived from the Italian Vulcano, set in the north of the Rustica Empire. Vulcan is the last Element to be found, which leaves a great deal to Tafari’s imagination, and he is probably the Element Dragon that everyone in the party is the most frightened of confronting. I describe Vulcan as “a magnificent Fire beast, as tall as a matured oak tree” with “majesty in his face … and grandeur in his soul”. He is the archetypal dragon, an enormous red scaly lizard with wings, and has the ability to breathe the type of terrible and powerful fire that embraces the fury of the sun; the type of fire that no other dragon on earth is capable of wielding. To the external eye, Vulcan is the perfect dragon to have on a perilous mission: a courageous and battle-hungry creature that knows his enemy and understands clearly his task to help the young Dragon Speaker. However, Vulcan can be susceptible to forces beyond his control. It remains to be seen whether the Fire Dragon appears once more to Tafari and helps him in his ultimate task of triumphing over his foe Theodoric Oadir.

Darya is the beautiful ‘Queen of the Sea’, as named by her two creators, and she is the only female Element Dragon. She reigns over the waters of the world with a proud indifference. Her spirit is as cold and wild as the sea she governs, and her fierce independence causes her to immediately take offence to the idea of working in a partnership with the other three Elements. Her maternal side is shown with the care she takes with her four young daughters, and her concern for the quest is shown briefly by the sending of messengers, but this trait is extremely rare. She is more likely to spend her time scorning Vulcan or rebuffing those she disagrees with. Darya’s stubbornness is particularly trying for Tafari’s party and it is this characteristic in particular which delivers a great blow and brings with it a great deal of cost to the mission. 

Enki the Earth Dragon is an exception to the aloof and bestial manners of the other Element Dragons. The last of the Four to be made, he is a cheerful and supportive creature who instantly wins a position of firm favourite among the travelling party. Enki is not in the image of the typical Western dragon. Unlike the other three, he has no wings, and he is, in all other senses, an “earth” dragon. He is tiny, about the size of a horse, and very much a creature of the land. Enki has all the benevolent characteristics of the Eastern dragon and its physical features. He has a reddish-brown, slender body and an elongated tail with jagged spikes that can “create earthquakes”. Out of all the Element Dragons, he alone is created with the specific condition of the love of being with others, and capable of striking up meaningful friendships and true allegiances. Tafari and Melchior really enjoy having an Element Dragon travel with them that seems like one of them, and straightaway Enki becomes thoroughly accepted and loved. Over time and in the rest of the trilogy, one of the other Element Dragons in particular, finds it more and more difficult not to return the companionship and friendliness that Enki offers, and which he finds so easy to give. It is this trait that makes Enki a popular character and he makes a refreshing change in the party from the superior mind-sets of the others. However, Enki is no pushover, and his gods have made sure that their smallest Element Dragon can firmly hold his own in a battle of wills with the other three when needed!

Enlil is the Lord of the Air and can be seen soaring over the horizon on a clear day, his light-blue scales shimmering and reflecting in the cold air. He has the power to conjure gales, whirlwinds, tornadoes and all of the major wild weather conditions that humans fear. At first glance, he is the very image of an aloof and conceited creature, ready to treat the other three Elements with a snarling word of contempt. His sharp manner means he is well able to say what he thinks, and he is not above dropping a sarcastic word to lower the spirits of the optimistic Enki. However, beneath this haughty and cold exterior beats a kind heart. He does not shy away from tasks, and bravely makes the decision to join Tafari with no hesitation, even though he knows it means travelling day and night with those he detests and fears. After the events of “The Balance of Four”, Enlil finds himself with an unexpected change in fortune and it compels him to revaluate his role as an Element Dragon and his responsibilities to others. Over time, Tafari sees through this unpredictable creature and learns to trust him; equally, Tafari also succeeds in gaining Enlil’s full respect. Enlil’s character is malleable, becoming a true friend and slowly winning as much affection in Tafari’s heart as Enki already holds.        

If you asked me which Element Dragon was my favourite, I could not tell you. Each is a true individual, with depths and nuances that any human character might have. I could tell you whom I would like to have as my guard on a dark night, whom I would like to go on an adventure with, whom I would want to tell me stories, whom I would go to for help, and whom would be my life coach! The four of them were the earliest characters I came up with, and Darya has the honour of being the very first character I thought of for the entire tale back in the year 2006. Their balance of their four very great powers and elements support the back-story of the trilogy, and each of them bring something special to the scenes they star in, every time I write them onto the page. Tafari would not have got too far without them and neither would I.

“Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth… Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.”
Noela Evans 

A Question and Answer interview will shortly be taking place, made up from questions from my readers, or indeed anyone else who wants to know anything about the Dragon Speaker world. I’ll be putting it up on Tumblr, Twitter and the “Dragon Speaker Trilogy Page” on Facebook. Drop me a message if you want to know something! Characters, themes, ideas and anything else are entirely yours for the asking.

https://twitter.com/#!/StoreyAuthor

Follow my updates here on future releases, interviews, characters and all other aspects of the Dragon Speaker universe …

Happy New Year to everyone! Here’s hoping you have fun, love, laughter and everything you could wish for!

The book trailer for BOOK TWO: “At the Edge of the World.”

Trying times are ahead for Tafari. With friends lost in the battle, his nemesis dangerously close, and his isolation growing in his own City, the Dragon Speaker must leave Rustica altogether and depart to the very end of the world that he knows. But where is Oadir now? Who is a friend and who is an enemy? Dark secrets continue to be unlocked about the past in this second installment in the “Dragon Speaker” trilogy.   

“In three days, the gods fashioned the world …”

So begins the first page of the trilogy and so begins the book trailer. A basic synopsis, similar to a cinema trailer, but with some visual treats. Look out for some beautiful shots of water and sky, as well as the four dragons all together (a rare and historical occurrence!) A very special thanks to a friend who put this together.