Today Sue Perkins, author of the Dragon series, is guest posting about her newest YA fantasy Dragon Clans. Welcome, Sue!
Thank you Katie for inviting me to your blog.
My young adult fantasy ‘Dragon Clans’ has been released. It’s the second in the Dragon series, following the first book ‘Dragon Flame’ and with one more to come. The second book continues the tale of the dragons of Nuer who have come to an alliance with the human settlers on the planet.
Nuer is an earth like planet with two continents. The humans settled on one, unaware there are dragons on the other continent. The dragons have their own culture and are divided into four clans. Each clan has its own area, the Fordra have the forest, the Mondra the mountain, the Seadra the sea and the Landra the desert. To the south in a mountainous arid region are the red dragons, the Valdra, outcasts from the other clans and considered to be dangerous rebels.
Sie, an orphaned young woman rescued by the Valdra, is adopted into the clan. She and her new family must convince the other dragons they are no threat and only want to be part of the dragon treaty. The problem is how to convince the other clans when every approach ends in an aggressive response.
I’ve included an excerpt from ‘Dragon Clans’ to wet your appetite. Don’t forget to leave a comment and be in to win an ebook of ‘Dragon Clan’. The winner will be by random draw at the end of the blog tour.
Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/dragonclans
Webpage: http://www.sueperkinsauthor.com
Excerpt
The waves washed over the boat, swamping the small vessel. Sie huddled in the stern, her knuckles white with cold, hands clamped to the wooden sides. The hood of her cloak had blown back some time ago, allowing the rain to plaster her red hair across her face. She didn’t dare raise her hand to clear her eyes, this would mean letting go of the boat. Clothes soaked with rain clung to her body, and the chill went through to her bones.
What am I doing here?
At the front of the boat her two older brothers struggled to keep them afloat. The crashing waves filled the vessel with water and with food bowls in hand they tried to bail the water back into the sea. Gorva, the eldest, yelled at her to come and help, but Sie couldn’t move for fear. She knew this would mean a beating later, but surviving the present held more importance.
Ever since her parents’ death her life had been miserable. The older brothers had grudgingly provided a home for appearance sake, but they didn’t want her with them. A fifteen-year-old cramped their style. She hated her life in their house as a drudge. If anything went wrong they blamed her, and the rebuke often ended with a smack across the face or worse.
They’d come up with this stupid idea and dragged her along. Dragons lived on the other continent, and they were convinced there would be dragon treasure to steal.
The two idiots hadn’t planned anything, the normal way for their escapades. They’d set off in a boat too small for the journey across the ocean. The food had run out after a few days, and she’d borne the brunt of their anger, catching the blame for everything. Now the storm had descended on them with the sea and rain crashing and pounding their frail craft.
Someone help us, please! We’re in the middle of an ocean in a terrible storm. The boat will sink soon. Please, if you can hear me, I need your help!
Sie knew no one would hear her mental scream. If they did, who would care enough to rescue them? A clap of thunder shook the sky, followed by a lightning flash into the sea. Huge waves crashed across the boat. Her younger brother lost his grip, and Sie heard him cry out as he disappeared overboard.
“No!” Gorva lunged to the side, but his movement made the boat lurch and dip lower, curtseying to the waves. Sie grabbed the sides as the vessel overturned and threw her into the water.
Her cloak tried to keep her beneath the surface, but Sie fought against the drag and rose up for air. Nearby, the upside down boat tossed in the waves, and she swam toward it, grabbing hold of the ridge along the upturned bottom. Once secure, Sie looked round for her brothers, but could see no sign of them. The tumultuous sea and the dark clouds scudding across the sky filled her view.
