Mixed Book Bag: Mark of the Dragon by JW Troemmer

Mark of the Dragon

by JW Troemner

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I want to thank JW Troemmer for being my guest today and tell me why she chose to make a dragon one of the main characters in her new book. I loved her reply. Here it is. Read and see if you love it as much as I did.

JW Toemmer

First of all, thank you so much for having me on your blog, and for asking such a fun question!

I think it’s particularly fun because it has such a stupid answer. Normally, it seems like such major writing decisions should have weight and meaning behind them. The keyword there is ‘seems’.

Arkay started out as a supporting character in another story entirely, and a particularly old one at that. She belonged to a generic fantasy race that looked and acted like pretty much every other generic fantasy race: strong, fast, an exemplary sense of smell and some wicked claws.

What can I say? I was only fourteen at the time. This story’s been bouncing around my head for more than a decade now, and it’s changed a lot since its inception.

In her original incarnation, the character’s name was Ryuu Kageyama, which eventually got shortened to RK—which itself became Arkay. And for anybody who didn’t have an anime phase in middle school, allow me to clarify: Ryuu is Japanese for dragon. So when I scrapped the made-up race she belonged to, I decided to make her a dragon instead.

I’m not kidding, that’s the entire reason.

The majority of her personality actually followed that decision, and I started giving her more and more traits that were draconic in nature. I played up her vanity, pride, greed, and so forth, and I have to say, it’s made her one of the most fun characters I’ve ever written.

In the original story, Ryuu was chronically ill, which left her small and weak compared to everybody else around her. When she wound up in charge of a clan of monsters, she couldn’t keep them in line with the traditional policy of screaming and breaking things, so she had to instead rely on diplomacy and connections to maintain order and keep power. Much of that dynamic still plays a part in the series. In the first half, most of the characters are unfamiliar enough with dragons to understand to be intimidated by her reputation alone, but as the world opens up and more people know what to expect, that stops being an option. She still keeps her diminutive size as a callback to that first incarnation. A lot of her being chronically ill got lost along the way, I’m afraid, but I’m hoping to use that more thoroughly in another project down the line.

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GENRE: Urban Fantasy

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BLURB:

Rosario Hernandez doesn't ask for much. She'd like to sleep on a bed instead of a sidewalk, to know where her next meal is coming from, and maybe, if she's really feeling optimistic, to get a girlfriend. More than anything, though, she wants her best friend Arkay to not murder anyone— because Arkay is a dragon, claws and all, and she has a penchant for vigilante justice. When Arkay's latest escapade goes sour, Rosario gets stuck with a stolen van and a cooler full of human organs. Now they're on the run, and it's not just the cops who want answers. The owner of the cooler is still out there, and they want to replace what they've lost— by any means necessary.

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EXCERPT

Occult ‘R’ Us:

The room was lined with dozens, maybe hundreds, of unlit candles in shades of white and red and black. The line of candles only stopped at a bookshelf full of old, leather-bound tomes and even older-looking brass weapons. An iron circle had been pounded into the concrete floor, which had been liberally smeared with rust-brown stains. The far wall was shiny and steel with a big door that looked like a walk-in refrigerator, the kind you’d find in a restaurant kitchen.

Arkay had apparently ignored Occult ‘R’ Us entirely, except to stack the old books under a window and try to pry open the glass with a rune-covered dagger. “Think you can fit?”

“I’ll suck it in,” I said.

“Then give me just a minute. I’ve almost got it.”

So during that minute, I did The Thing. You know, that one thing you usually see people in horror movies doing. The one that makes you facepalm and shake your head at the sheer stupidity.

Because Arkay was busy with the window, and Matheson and his goons were scratching at the door with what sounded like a screwdriver, and I had nothing else occupying my time or my mind.

Nothing but that giant freakin’ door in the shiny metal wall, just begging to be opened.

Three guesses what I did.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

JW Troemner was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States, where she lives with her partner in a house full of pets. Most days she can be found gazing longingly at sinkholes and abandoned buildings.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30642161-mark-of-the-dragon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjwtroemner/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWTroemner

Website: http://jwtroemner.com/

Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/bRaRF5

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H8GI5HS

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION