The Dragon or the Egg?

Which came first?

Why am I asking this question?

Well, on January 20th, the 45th President of the United States was sworn in. The 44th said adieu. Before getting to this point, and after, truthfully, there has been this frenzy of information, opinion, and activity overload. It's like that Teen Titans Go! episode where the whole world got wrapped up in a blanket and a giant stink bomb blew up creating the universe's largest dutch oven (if you are going EWWWW! at this point, can't say I blame you, nor could I blame you if you're laughing like a hyena).

But...that's actually my point. You see what I did? I totally pulled in a reference to a TV show. There have been, and continue to be, so many TV, movie, and book references used throughout this recent election process. It got me to wondering: How much of life is an imitation of art OR is art an imitation of life?

Think of the food generators on Star Trek. It was so cool to see the actors/actresses tell the computer what they wanted and then watch it appear right before them, whether hot or cold. I haven't seen this in in my neck of the woods just yet, but we're getting close:

Hot food vending machine. Picture credit to Throwback Tech.

There are even three-dimensional pens and printers that can produce three-dimensional objects from scans and designs like seen in the movie Big Hero 6.

So which came first, the dragon or the egg. Is art an imitation of life or is life an imitation of art?

When it comes to writing science fiction and fantasy, we as writers can create the foundation for a world drawing out how such spectacular beings as dragons, vampires, were-animals, leviathans, and other fantastical creatures, came to be. As readers, we get to embark on the adventure of discovery as the lay of the land is artistically woven for us a paragraph at a time.

But I am curious. What about you? What are your thoughts?

Please share in the comments then feel free to share this post with others so they, too, can comment and we can have a fantastic discussion.

Dragons were Aliens Who Bettered Our World #SciFi #Giveaway

According to Ancient Astronaut theorists, dragons visited our planet eons ago.

Ancient Sumerians and Greeks spoke of 'flying serpents' in their texts as descending from the skies. Well, they were obviously talking about extraterrestrials visiting our world.

What did these dragons do when they visited? My guess is they sent the Ant People and the Lizard People packing, because the Earth can only handle one alien benefactor at a time.

The dragons also bestowed us with the merry holiday of Halloween. They landed in the city of Ur and said, "You humans are so serious. Go have some fun. We demand it!"

Well, who could say no to a dragon? More recent evidence of dragon activity is the existence of candy treats. I mean, candy just all of a sudden showed up in evolution. The most logical answer: the dragons came back. And no other alien but the dragon is capable of melting sugar with such finesse. They're experts at melting everything.

I bet there is way more evidence of dragon activity hidden from the public record. I point to this: if dragons were ordinary reptiles, why would we love them so much? Most people scream at snakes. So yeah, that means dragons are aliens. Obviously.

Well, that was all for fun, but...

How about a dragon story and a treat for real?

This contains two short stories: "Wings of the Guiding Suns" and "Aftermath".

"Wings of the Guiding Suns" is solar punk with dragons. It could just be Ancient Alien theoriests are correct and dragons really do exist... out in the stars.

Sita is born to be the emissary between dragonkind and a world on the verge of doom. If she saves the people about to become extinct, she will join her fellow dragons sailing on the solar strands. If she fails, her life will end the moment the dying world does. The choice is simple: leave and live. Yet, the people resist and time is running out..

"Aftermath" is also told from the alien point of view. I confess exploring alien worlds and cultures is a passion of mine. It's my favorite ingredient to science fiction.

It has a cool video, too:

Noret’s world is destroyed by an attack on the moon. It sends the city tumbling and kills thousands. Among the dead is her bonded, whom she cannot survive without. Her kind has never known violence, but an act of war must be answered. What will be her reply?

As a thank you to our wonderful Untethered Realms visitors, I'm offering it as a free treat. Just click HERE and type in the code URRealms31. It expires 11/6/2016, so don't delay.

Enjoy! If you decide to leave a review at your favorite book store, be sure to mention you were given a free review copy.


And share your theory about the everlasting effect of ancient dragon aliens in the comments...

Manifesting Destiny by M. Pepper Langlinais #BookReview / Speculative Fiction Worth Reading

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Cee has a hopeless crush on her best friend Marcus. Unfortunately for her, he’s gay. In the wake of Marcus’s older brother leaving home to join the Aerie, Marcus has become increasingly distant. When Cee discovers she has a troublesome dragon named Livian living inside her things grow even more complicated.

Marcus urges Cee to go to the Magi to have Livian removed, but the more Cee becomes attached to Livian, the more she questions the decision. Should she change her natural self for the crush who will never love her anyway?

 

Christine's review:

Everything is about to change in Cee's life, but not in the way she expects. She knows the day will come when she will have to say goodbye to her best friend, Marcus, a guy she's hopelessly in love with, and they'll go live with their own clans. The thing is, Cee has a dragon inside of her which are supposed to be extinct. She has no clan. Marcus suggests having the dragon removed, but Cee doesn't know if she can. Will she give up her dragon for a man who will never love her back?

A wonderfully written YA paranormal fantasy with shapeshifters, psychics, and dragons, oh my! Well, one dragon named Livian. I best give him the spotlight lest he eat me! He's a bit troublesome, but he and Cee are learning to live together in the same body. It's fun and fascinating to read about how Cee deals with the changes within her, and how her friends are dealing with theirs. Each of them are going through a different journey as their powers come to bear as they approach adulthood. The majority of the population shapeshifts into animals, and then they go live with their particular clans. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

I also loved everything going on underneath the trouble Cee and her friends are having. The Magi, the various clans, the Brigade, and all the conflicts and politics that go with them. Who to trust? And where will each path lead? There's a great mystery in the east as well. Lots going on and everything is woven together beautifully.

M. Pepper Langlinais has created an incredible world with great characters for young and old readers alike. I can't wait to read more in the Changers series!

 

Buy the book:
Paperback - Createspace

E-Book
Evernight Teen * Amazon Kindle (US) * Amazon Kindle (UK) * Smashwords

* B&N Nook * iBooks * Kobo * All Romance eBooks 

 

Find M. Pepper Langlinais here!

Cowboys and Indians...Wait, No, Cowboys and What?

There are some books that show it is possible to take two familair things, mash them together and make something specatacular. That is Mina Khan's Wildfire.

About Wildfire
Lynn Hana Alexander is a 25-year-old Japanese American shapeshifter haunted by guilt. She’s been questioning herself and her dragon abilities ever since she failed to save her grandmother.

When her best friend is threatened by mysterious fires burning up acres of West Texas, Lynn rushes to the rescue determined not to fail again. However, with a tempting firefighter, a flirty city developer and dragon pheromones distracting her, how is she going to find the arsonist?

And worse: is her primary suspect a malicious rogue dragon or the love of her life?

My Review
First, I must admit up front that I had an opportunity to meet Mina Khan at Indie Romance Con 2014 in Lebanon, TN. Conversation was fluid and easy-going. She's a fun person to be around and I loved hearing her speak.

Now about Wildfire...when I first held the book, I noticed this description on the cover: A Paranormal Mystery with Cowboys and Dragons. Well, I'm pretty familiar with cowboys and indians but mashing a dragon mythos with a cowboy scene is a new one on me. So I had to read it. I'm sooooo glad I did.

Lynn has an ability very few know about, her ability to shift into dragon form. Since the loss of her grandmother, she's been troubled and even doubtful of herself. But when her dragon senses incite her to protect her BFF in West Texas, she finds she's drawn into the mystery of the wildfires, desperate to find out if the constant combustion is caused by some human arsonist or maybe, just maybe, someone like her. If so, what was the end-goal?

Lynn suspects a couple of gents, one more of a city slicker and the other a badboy ranch owner. Both tease her dragon senses with manly musk, mystery and look marvelous sporting thigh hugging Levis jeans.

There were times when Lynn's dragon seemed to have an agenda of its own, a more carnal need to fulfill. And it was such a fantastic adventure following Lynn along the ups and downs she experienced, as well as the emotional highs and lows. Mina does a wonderful job engaging the reader so it really feels like you're there to feel the heat and sweat from the flames and fire.

Wildfire is a must read that shouldn't be missed out.

Buy here: Smashwords | Amazon | B&N | ARe | Kobo | iTunes

A to Z Challenge - F is for Favorite Creatures

The A to Z Blogging Challenge is underway!

If you haven't heard of it, check out the A to Z blog and join in the fun.

Here at Untethered Realms, we're taking on the Challenge as a group. Each day, one of us will be sharing with you a fantastical creature that may be from one of our books, a favorite movie, or something we just came up with as entertainment.

F is for favorite creature. Ooo.

Who or what is your favorite creature?


M. Pax - The T. Rex in Jurassic Park always steals my heart. But this fall, I was introduced to another delicious creature, so I pick the new Dracula. Why? Because he's purty.

River Fairchild - Dragons are one of my favorite creatures. They are the central characters in book two of my Jewels of Chandra series, titled A Dragon's Lament. Who wouldn't want to fly in warm breezes and breathe fire down on their enemies?

wikimedia

Christine Rains - Demons. While I do enjoy stories with them as pure evil in the traditional sense, I love the modern day spins on them. I'd like to believe everyone is redeemable.

(Crowley from Supernatural)

Cherie Reich - Since River already mentioned one of my favorites (dragons), I'll go with phoenixes. I love the mythology on this majestic bird that has the ability to be reborn from the ashes. It gives me hope that we can always remake ourselves into something better.

 
Ellie Garratt - Choosing my favourite creature wasn't easy. Vampires or zombies? I love them both. In the end I've gone with zombies because I'm a huge fan of The Walking Dead. Who can forget Bicycle Girl or all the different ways they've found to kill a zombie?

Angela Brown - It is so hard to pick just one favorite creature. I love dragons, vampires and angels. But of that trio, I'll go with angels. They can be great protectors, guardians and warriors and, of course, there are the fallen ones. It fills my my mind to bursting thinking of the different reasons angels have fallen, and those that have fallen because of love of a mortal woman or man....oh be still my beating heart.

Legion

Catherine Stine - Aside from my real life favorite creature, dogs, I'd have to say my fave is one of my own creation. I won't say its name because I'm posting more about it for R. But here is a sneak peek: