C.H. MacLean's Blog

Good day, noble readers.

I’d call it a great, brilliant, too-exciting-to-sit-still sort of day.

A million reasons make it so, but for one, I just finished the first draft of my next book (the fourth book in the Five in Circle series). The next and last book of the series is begging to burst forth. But for now, all the plot lines hang on the tipping point, the characters looking into the fires that could kill them. Will they choose the dangerous, noble path, or run in fear?

I know which you would choose.

But for now, while the editing process for that book starts, let me not leave you without a little something. Fire Above is finishing up at the formatter and so on, soon to break free. While others will have to wait, for you, another advance chapter.

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Fire Above

Chapter 2: Errand

By the time I reached the castle gates, my arms, back, and legs ached and burned. I wondered who would be there to collect my nephew, and joyously it was her. I caught sight of my love even as I approached the castle, our eyes leaping over the distance. A smile bloomed on her face, and I could feel mine match. My steps, plodding and painful, now flew, like running on springy moss, my fatigue vanishing. The other slaves, and even the lord waiting for deliveries, faded until the lord puppeted me, stretching my arms out to hand over my nephew to my love. Despite my trembling arms, I would have held onto my nephew if the lord hadn’t puppeted me to give him up, and if the slave hadn’t been her.

Seeing I was puppeted, my love leaped forward to take my nephew. Her eyes reassured me, daring enough to tell me she would keep him safe, folding him into a cuddle and striding boldly past the lord. The lord scowled but followed. When she go of my body, I trotted around and in the cook’s door, through the maze of hallways toward the throne chamber, to the small room next to it. I knocked and waited.

My father opened the small door and his eyes lit up for a brief second. He must be alone. We were still in the hall, though, so I said, “I live to serve.”

“I live to serve,” he said, moving aside and ushering me in.

His office always looked the same. Fireballs hovering in the corners cast flickering but bright light around the small room. Baskets of tally sticks lined the room in an order only he understood, stacks of the thin sheets of metal the lords used to hold language on the one table in the room. No chair or decoration. Looking like a storage closet, this room saw most of the information about the empire.

Inside, my father relaxed a hair. He gave me a half-smile and put one hand on my shoulder. “Where were you?” he said in low tones. “They need a runner to go to the far southeast village.”

“The lords wanted to collect a package from oldest brother’s house,” I said. “They Called his youngest.”

“Already?” he said, his eyes falling. All three of my grandsons, I heard him think. I thought I had more time. He thought about telling me something else, something serious. Once again I considered telling him I could hear his thoughts, so he might as well just talk to me. Once again, I rejected the idea. My ability was close to magic, and everyone knew only lords could use magic. I loved my father, but didn’t know how he would react.

He was thinking something about my nephew, about me and my two brothers. My father had taught me how to separate my thoughts, and he was such an expert I couldn’t always figure out what he was thinking. Something about how my nephew would be taken away forever?

I clenched my jaw. My other two nephews had been Called earlier this year. Only a cycle apart, both were just starting to look like adults. At least my brother had the one daughter left. At least he’d get to see one of his children grow up. My attempts to echo the common wisdom broke down. Don’t the lords have enough slaves already? I banished the thought as soon as it popped in my head. You never knew when a lord might jump into your mind.

As if I had summoned the lords, my father’s face slackened. He moved past me just as my own body was puppeted. Our bodies walked out the door and into the throne chamber. It was difficult to look around without moving my eyes, but I practiced. Several slaves stood slack-faced along the walls. After serving in the palace for a while, some slaves always looked like that, puppeted or not. I stuffed the pride of knowing my father was almost the only one still himself. My oldest brother was in the throne room, guarding one of the doors. I moved quickly toward the throne and couldn’t see more.

The Queen looked fully like one of us, so she must be in a good mood. My father once told me the lords looked like us to help slaves be less frightened. I wouldn’t say it helped much.

Our bodies fell flat on our faces. I would have yelled in pain if I could have. The stone floor was clean, at least. I hoped I wouldn’t bleed on it.

“I live to serve,” my father and I said in unison. Our bodies rose to kneel.

The Queen looked at her Right. “You insisted on this runner? He looks a bit taller than the others, but not much else.”

The Right said quickly, “There was no delay.” She shrugged. “Your pet pointed out that this one received training in fighting, which might be necessary.”

The Queen peered at me, and I hid my thoughts as deep as I could as she brushed across my mind. “Acceptable,” she said as my body rose to standing. “Get him ready and on to village six. Tally all beast herds, ill and well, as well as beast herders. Sample the herds, the herders, and anyone else involved with the herds. You,” she said, indicating my father as his body stood, “give him what he needs to return swiftly.”

Our bodies turned and left. Two other slaves hit the floor as we left the throne room, but I wasn’t paying attention. I noticed her standing against the wall. She was beautiful as always, and not slack-faced. But I was. I longed to wave, to say something, anything to catch her attention. Would she look at me, share our secret smile? Knowing it was impossible, I threw my full concentration into imagining my hand waving at her, the smile she would give me in return. I could see it in my mind.

My left hand twitched, and I felt a faint surprise that wasn’t my own. My love didn’t seem to notice at all, maybe wasn’t even looking at me, it was hard to tell. The puppet feeling slammed into me fresh, and I marched out of the throne room and back into my father’s office.

Once there, his face perked as he took control of his body. He picked up a blank tally stick, a small metal rod, and a metal sheet. He turned to look at my face and glanced at the doorway, where the lord waited. Did I see a flash of sadness in my father’s face? He must have been able to see I was still puppeted, but why would that make him sad? From my hiding place, I was too scared to try to read his mind.

“Your supplies, runner,” he said. He held up the metal rod, thick as his thumb and long as his arm. “To use, you press the sampling rod into the side of the neck, like this,” he said, demonstrating on his own neck. The rod hissed sharply, like a drop of water thrown into a fire. “Hold it until the hissing stops, then remove.” He held up the metal sheet, writing side out, and looked me square in the eye. “This is for the lord only. You must arrive in two days. You will keep this hidden from any slave that can read with your life.”

I was glad then of the puppeting, so I couldn’t move a muscle. I kept my thoughts as deep as I could, everything else calm and empty. My training served me well as I held in my shock. What was he doing? He risked his life by showing me this, knowing I could read it myself.

He held the sheet, hand shaking slightly. I cowered in the hidden place in my mind, expecting the lord to walk in to at least beat him for his sloppiness. Pet or not, he could be killed. Apparently the lord wasn’t paying attention. When my father finally lowered the sheet, I kept my mind deeply hidden, not daring a single thought’s escape.

My father took a breath and continued. “This tally stick is for the beast herders,” he said. “Return with it, the sampling rod, and whatever the lord gives you when told.” His eyes flickered. It was the look he had when he debated with himself over something. But the only thing he said was, “That is all.”

He had decades of practice hiding his mind, and I was puppeted. But I heard the next thought clearly.

I love you always, my son.

I wished I were braver, to try to have him hear my response. But I kept my thoughts behind a wall, not daring to risk the lord overhearing me think, I love you too, Father. My body walked out the door and out of the castle, running as soon as it was out. The lord didn’t follow, and I got control of my body back. I reached into my bag as I ran, eating the meager provisions. Tucked away was a little greenfruit. My father must have done something illegal to sneak that in, but that seemed paltry after what he had done in his office.

As I ran, my mind raced faster. Why had my father risked a fire whipping to show me that sheet? He knew I could read, and if the lords found out I’d read the sheet, we would both be killed. What was he trying to tell me? I couldn’t wait to get back, pull my father to a place we could talk, and figure out what was going on.

The post Fire Above – Chapter 2 appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

© Depositphotos.com/@ IngaDudkina

Happy New Year to you, and happy Hogmanay to those who celebrate it. It’s no coincidence that Fire Above is launching now, as dark-haired first foots bring in luck and Hogmanay fireballs swing. A source of these old traditions come to fantastic life in Fire Above.

All traditions, like all myths, start in a true story. All stories start…with chapter one. As you enjoy the start of the new year, here’s the first chapter for Fire Above.

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Chapter 1: Baby will Fall

As I ran toward the village, I tried to keep my worries away. I’d run this way late last night, checking on my oldest brother’s youngest child. Just starting to toddle, he constantly got into things, and I really could help in the raising. Now into my breeding years, I could show real interest in child-rearing without being teased. Not so long before, I could only imagine being chosen for the breeding program. Helping with my nephew, painfully adorable, let me really experience fatherhood, and I loved it.

My oldest brother and his mate lived close enough for me to sneak to their hut on the way to my own each night. That morning, when the lords wanted a runner to carry a package back from our village, I’d stepped up before even checking in with my father. He’d looked terrible after his meeting with the Queen the night before, and it was just a short run. Besides, I had to know what the package was.

As I entered the village, my heart dropped and my feet turned from trusted friends to tripping enemies. The lord was waiting by my brother’s hut. Carry a package. When they’d said from our village, I’d had a feeling. From my brother’s hut, what else could it mean?

I plodded forward, dreading the next moments. It was an honor to be Chosen, right? Father had been Chosen, and look where he was now. Pet slave to the Queen herself.

I watched the lord push open the door and obediently followed her inside. She looked around, wrinkling her nose. It looked like a regular hut to me, with its dirt floor, cooking pit in the center, sleeping mats to one side. Neater than most, in fact. My brother’s mate spun as we came in, my nephew on one hip. I saw my niece peep out from the sleeping mats out of the corner of my eye. Behind the lord’s back, I winked at her and tipped my head to get her to go back to hiding. She did.

My brother’s mate’s brown eyes shone black in the dim light. She flicked her eyes at the lord, and then at me, wide-eyed.

The lord peered at her and said, “That child is Called.”

My brother’s mate’s face flashed with fear and went slack. I dove toward her, managing to catch my nephew before his head hit the floor. Luckily, I bumped his stiff mother back into the wall instead of forward, so she shouldn’t be too injured. My nephew started screaming, and I couldn’t tell if he had an injury or was just scared. I guess it didn’t really matter.

Easily after so much practice, I carefully hugged him into my shoulder, and started tapping on his back while bouncing. Within moments, his screams quieted into a big sigh. He looked at his mother, and then glared at the lord. A deeply hidden part of me agreed, but I just turned slightly to hide his face.

Carefully not looking at the lord, I missed the cue that she was about to puppet my body. My nephew grunted as I stopped bouncing and held him a bit too tightly. The lord moved my body to stand right in front of her.

“Take it back to the castle,” she growled., then let me go enough to speak.

“I live to serve. I will run there now,” I said, and started running.

I ran almost to the forest before I felt the lord give me my body back. I didn’t stop running, just changed my stride to one that actually worked, shifting my nephew to a better position. , but it worked like a charm. My nephew leaned back to look at me with bright eyes, then snuggled into my shoulder. The smell of his hair filled my nose.

Despite the extra weight, I didn’t even think of taking my secret shortcut through the forest. I could feel the lord hanging at the edges of my mind. She must be flying, keeping pace with me. I ran as fast as I could while keeping my bouncing smooth and even, working hard not to wonder where my nephew would go. He fell asleep in my arms. His trust gave my body strength, but filled my mind with worry.

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While just a sip, that’s a taste of what’s to come. I’ll send another chapter soon while I wait for the team to set the book loose. Feel free to share with anyone interested, and look for the next installment. I’m off to do my saining.

Until next time.

CHM

The post Fire Above – Chapter One appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

We’re in the dusk time of year, looking back on the past and forward to the next. I hope your year is finishing off well and the next holds great promise. For me, while this year rolled well, I think 2015 will fly.

One is Come and Two Empty Thrones rolled out in 2014. I’m excited for 2015, as it will bring the release of two more books. A stand alone novel, Fire Above, will soar out in April of 2015. We the Three, the 3rd book in the Five in Circle Series, is lining up to take off in the summer of 2015.

(I’m hard at work on the fourth book in the Five in Circle series, so it might be complete and ready to release before 2015 is over, too. But the dragons don’t like to be pushed too hard, so, for now, I’ll just say two books in 2015.)

I’ve been focusing all my writing time on the novels, but I haven’t forgotten about you! So I’d like to share with you a taste of my newest book, Fire Above.

Fire Above, a grittier fantasy than the YA Five in Circle series, is about a young man who dares to dream and starts the first human-dragon war.

Note: I am sharing this with you even though the final rounds of edits aren’t complete. So please note that the final text might be slightly altered.

Without further ado, I present to you the prologue.

Fire Above

Prologue

The old slave watched his puppeted body open the door, ensuring his eyes never left the floor. The lord waiting on the other side of the door strode past him. Under the Queen’s control, the slave closed the door and stepped back to his place, keeping his true thoughts carefully hidden. Four lords and only one slave, a very special meeting.

The lord dropped to one knee, her blond hair falling forward as she bowed her head. “The plague spreads like wildfire, my Queen.”

Lounging on her pile of cushions, the Queen scowled. Fireballs pulsed, hovering in each corner of the room, casting shadows over her face. She glanced at the two other lords, the Queen’s Left and Right Hands, standing at her respective sides. The Hands shared a look, but said nothing.

The old slave kept his thoughts in control, despite the devastating news on the plague. His body was still puppeted by the Queen; his thoughts were what needed protecting. Even trained and practiced in separating his surface mind from his real thoughts, he knew this meeting would test his well-honed discipline.

Earlier, he’d imagined taking his heart, his essence, and putting it in a thick stone box, insulated and safe. He knew his duty and wouldn’t let anything jeopardize the gains he and others had sacrificed so much to get.

Finally, the Queen sighed and asked, “Is it really as bad as Earth and Water said?”

She shifted, and the slave felt his body move closer to her to arrange some cushions. He watched his old hands fluff, looking almost like someone else’s hands. The back pain he felt from stooping so far over stabbed him from far, far away. This body won’t take this for much longer, he thought. But don’t let it fail me quite yet.

“Yes, if not worse.” The kneeling lord licked her lips and raised her eyes up for just an instant. “Rumors are starting to fly, my Queen. I heard—”

“Nothing!” The Queen’s single word lashed out a moment before she flicked one clawed finger. A whip of fire shot out, smacking the lord across the face, knocking her to the floor. When the lord slowly rose to hands and knees, her blond hair had been burned off on one side, the skin red and blistering near it.

“I just thought you should know what is being said,” she started to explain.

Fool, the slave whispered to himself, deep in the shadows of his mind. Another lash of fire sent the lord sprawling, the other way this time. The smell of burned hair reached even to where the old slave hid.

“Do you think I don’t know as much as you?” the Queen hissed. “Get out. Get back to your post before I lose my temper.”

The slave felt his body trot clumsily to the door and open it so the lord could crawl out backwards. He felt his body shut the door and, coming back, pick up a tray with slabs of meat from the food table. He watched the meat slide in a bit of bright red blood as he held it out for the Queen to snatch. Her fangs ripped into it, gulping down chunks.

“That settles it,” she snarled. “I thought Water and Earth were just being paranoid.”

Her Right Hand had always been the braver of the two. “What is your plan?”

“Save us from starvation yet again, of course!” The Queen smirked, and then tapped her chin. “The hoof beast plague can only spread if there are beasts to spread it, right? Thus, I will order the slaughter of all the hoof beasts. And a moratorium on keeping any herds, even a single beast, for a solar cycle while we create a vaccine. Once we have the vaccine, we can find a wild herd or another species and vaccinate them. Problem solved. While we wait for that…”

In the hidden part of his mind, the slave reeled at the possible ramifications. If the lords don’t have beasts to eat anymore… As the Queen explained her plan, his worse fears crashed into him. He felt his heart crumble in its box, now its coffin.

But all that training and practice paid off. Even after the Queen gave him back control, his body held still and his surface thoughts stayed clear. Deep in his shadows, though, he huddled in a ball, rocking back and forth.

I must get my sons away from this death place. But he couldn’t think only of himself. His thoughts raced. If I have my sons carry the warning, I can save them and fulfill my duty to my people. It was a terrible risk, and he would surely be caught and killed, but there was no choice.

He fought to keep control as guilt wracked him anew. Oh, my sons, I am so sorry I ever brought you here!

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Just a taste to give you a sense of the flavor. I’ll definitely send more out as the launch draws closer.

Please share this with anyone you think might enjoy this upcoming fantasy novel!

The post Sneak Peek at Fantasy Novel – Fire Above appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

Most of you reading this will just think these interesting. Some of you out there, you know who you are, will know the real reason for this post.

One. Most of the old stories have bits of truth encased in layers of lies

The old stories of dragons show them as animals or monsters, sometimes intelligent. Most times they are shown as evil, rarely not. Expanding to global stories of dragons, slightly more variation rattles around. Wings appear and disappear, magic comes and goes, and even their size starts to vary. But if you look across all the stories, peel away the parts put there to obscure the facts, you start to see the truth. For example, some stories have dragons as giant winged flying lizards breathing fire. Others have them the size of cats, wingless and earthbound. The truth, of course is under both of those.

© Depositphotos.com/@ mppriv

Two. Dragons can change shape

Similar to dragon stories, shape shifting creature stories litter the old legends with variations. For example, the tales of vampires shifting from bat to human, werewolf legends of several different kinds, and other similar stories.  Lex parsimoniae notes, one simple explanation to cover a multitude is much more likely than a multitude of explanations. The odds of there being a slew of different shape-shifters each with different and limited shape-shifting abilities is much less likely than there just being one species with the ability to shift to any shape.

Three. Dragons are magic

Piers Anthony’s series of Xanth offered a great analogy of a distinction between using magic and being magic. Of course, that distinction is as artificial as the one between matter and energy, or science fiction and fantasy. As Arthur C. Clarke said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Four. Dragons have no magic

Humanity’s lack of understanding of the universe is only exceeded by our arrogant assumption that we actually understand it. Those with just an inkling of wisdom, in a first admittance of ignorance, will wave their hands and say our lack of understanding is explained by magic. Whatever makes them feel better, I guess.

Five. Magic is real

I know it seems like I just contradicted myself, right? And how is this about dragons anyway? Part of learning about dragons will require you to make connections in apparent paradox. Those connections can only be made by you, and like a Zen koan, my trying to tell you the answer will only hinder your progress.

Six. Dragons are real

Okay, for a moment, I’m going to put aside all discussion of points not accepted by the general media. Even then, dragons are still real. True, at that point, the definition of dragon does not include a fire-breathing, winged monster. But we certainly have monsters flying through our sky, beasts that shoot rockets of fire, and even intelligent beings that walk among us with powers nigh magical. In symbolism, dragons are the creatures that are the most powerful. They can fly, breathe fire, and have super-strength; they are the Superman of the mythical world. Taking those powers as symbolic, I know you can imagine humans with fiery tempers sitting on their piles of gold, exerting their power on helpless villagers whenever they like.

Seven. Dragons are not the most powerful creature

I know I said right above that dragons were the most powerful creature. But that is only in symbolism. The truth is that through a weird quirk of evolution, humans are the most powerful creature. While a human’s body is relatively ill-equipped for an unaided hand-to-hand combat, an individual human’s will can more than make up for it. Blunt teeth, worthless claws, and not a protective scale to speak of means humans have been forced to survive by making up for those deficits in other ways. (Clearly, those other ways are not intelligence.) I won’t list the countless large and small examples of determination winning against all odds. Force of will transcends all situations, and can be manipulated infinitely more than tooth, claw, scale, or even intelligence. Determination allows for artificial weapons and shields, and by wielding those tools with indefatigable will, a human can be more powerful.

Eight. Dragons don’t like to be ridden

While I love the stories about dragon riders, they always make me laugh. Dragons don’t like to be ridden. In fact, they hate it. I can only think of a couple times when it’s actually happened. I suppose the stories are wishful thinking against the actual occurrence of dragons carrying humans clutched in their claws. Besides functional and ego issues, dragons have a genetic memory of a parasite that prefers to feed at the back of the neck. It takes extreme self-control for a dragon not to get the heebie-jeebies if anything sits back there.

Nine. Not all dragons have wings

Despite their ability to choose any shape they want, dragons prefer their shape based on genetics and personality. For some, that includes wings. But many others have a genetic phobia something like a fear of heights. Imagine being naked on a high wire, above a busy shopping mall. Not needing to fly to get around, many just don’t see the point of floating up in the air. Especially in recent times, flying also increases the chance they will be caught on film.

Ten. All dragons fly

Understanding space-time on a cellular level, so to speak, dragons have no restrictions on movement. Matter and distance are all the same when viewed from that perspective. In other words, it takes as little effort for a dragon to flap her wings to get somewhere as it does to swim there. In fact, most of the time dragons use a method of instant transportation they call slipping through the Mag (which they can’t explain, of course. Human experts guess it is similar to worm-hole use, like portaling, but does not require the creation of a worm-hole).

Eleven. Dragons can live forever

Because of their understanding of the interrelationship of matter and energy, dragons are not bound to constraints of matter. With no matter constraints, they have no reason to die. And for most of them, life is fun. Living as powerful beings with no real problems, they can enjoy the experience and interactions. Of course, they will set up challenges for themselves, sometimes seemingly impossible, to be sure their interest continues. Once in a while, a dragon’s boredom or sorrow will overwhelm him or her. Most dragons faced with this one disease they are susceptible to, get over it. Once a while they don’t. The dragon may or may not say whatever goodbyes need to be said. With a breath, a letting go, the dragon slips into the Mag, but not through it.

Twelve. Unless they are killed

While dragons instinctively feel the matter-energy connection, either of those can be so disrupted as to stop being a dragon. If in a completely physical form, separating the will from the energy, striking the frequency that de-coheres the waveform unseats the soul. Basically, chop off their head and they’re dead.  In other forms, piercing through their spark, which sits very near the heart, with an energy bolt or similar magic weapon of sufficient power will work as well. Overloading their ability to absorb energy for their state will also do it. Theoretically, I suppose, a nuke would do the trick, but maybe not.

Thirteen. Killing a dragon is harder than it looks

I’m literally playing with fire revealing that last one, so before my house magically burns down, let me be clear that you can’t just go slay a dragon. Most times, dragons aren’t in a purely physical form. Riding a horse and stabbing a lance into its chest is generally worthless.  Taking a sword and trying to chop it to bits is just a good way to get eaten. Someone trying that is probably where Hercules and the Hydra story came from. But it was more likely the dragon that did the torching. Normal fire is not hot enough to overcome most dragons’ defenses. Bullets? Absolutely worthless. No, you generally need magic and a lot of it, plus the element of surprise and a good chunk of luck.

I had to get these dragon facts out first, but a whole host of other interesting facts about dragon culture, history, romance, and so on are still left unsaid. If you have any burning questions about dragons (no pun intended) let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.

The post 13 Facts You Don’t Know About Dragons (but should) appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

One is Come, Book 1 in my YA fantasy saga, will be free on Amazon from October 21st – 25th.

To celebrate, I am giving away an e-copy of  Book 2, Two Empty Thrones, to 50 lucky winners!  Winners will be notified by email and can choose from either a kindle, ebook or PDF version. The giveaway will end on October 21, 2014 9am PT.

Enter the giveaway at the bottom of this page. Good luck!

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The centuries-old prophesy of the One is being fulfilled, and the ancient dragon clans are coming out of hiding to remake the world. The king of the magic users will stop at nothing to be sure the prophecy is fulfilled the right way–with his oppressive government ruling. As they struggle for power, Haylwen (14) and her brother Cadarn (16) just happen to be caught dead center.

Story continued from Book 1:

With her powers growing every day, fourteen-year-old Haylwen Rightad thinks she’s safe in the magical forest. And now that she finally has the friends she always wanted, what is there to be afraid of?

But she’s not out of the woods yet. Old enemies rip through her beloved forest, threatening to haul Haylwen and her newfound friends away. Their safety shattered, Haylwen and her friends are suddenly at each other’s throats. Is the friendship she worked so hard for already ruined, or is there another, unseen enemy at work?

Haylwen and her brother must unmask this mysterious enemy before they can fight it off. But even if all their enemies are destroyed, the King of the magic users will stop at nothing to ensure he’s still in power when the dragons take over the world. And he’s hidden an enemy where Haylwen would never think to look.

If no one is what they seem, who can she trust?

With a mysterious prophecy, magical secrets and more dragons than meets the eye, Two Empty Thrones is the second book in the adventures of siblings Haylwen and Cadarn as they come to discover they have powers they never dreamt of — and a destiny only they can fulfill.

Read the first 3 chapters of the book here.

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Giveaway is open to those 13 years or older residing in the US or Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Win a free e-copy of Two Empty Thrones! appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

First, glance in its eyes. Just glance, though. Depending on the situation, the dragon, and you, more than a glance could be considered a challenge to duel or an opening to attack. Unless you are up for the duel of you life, I don’t recommend going that route. An opening might be fine, if your will is strong enough to fight off a mental attack. I’ll bet it isn’t.

But don’t avoid the glance either. No, the glance is important. Use your senses. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but it’s much simpler than that. The back of the eye is a direct extension of the brain. When you direct your eyes to it’s eyes, you provide the most sensitive measure of their brainwave activity. You just need an instant for your brain and the dragon’s brain to both send and receive enough information to assess intent. You might want to practice on some humans first, though.

© Depositphotos.com/@ fotokostic

Now, if your intent is to kill the dragon, you wouldn’t be confronted with it in this way to begin with. You’d just be attacking already. And vice versa. If the dragon really wanted you dead, you would be scattered atoms at this point. So, this is a chance to negotiate. The glance of assessment should give you enough information to let you know which of the following three options you face, and their chances of success.

One. The dragon thinks you, and maybe all humans, are worthless and wouldn’t mind destroying you.

If this is the scenario, portal out of there. Flee by whatever means you can. Yes, this can be done with dignity and respect to the dragon and yourself. But I don’t recommend belaboring the process. Sure, you could try sticking up for yourself or fighting. But this kind of dragon isn’t going to duel. It will just go max power immediately. Unless you’re tremendously powerful and skilled, it will likely destroy you before you can even fully power up.

Two. The dragon doesn’t care about you, is in a hurry, or otherwise wants to be left alone.

For this scenario, there is nothing much to do. By the time you have made the assessment, the dragon will probably already be gone. Depending on the dragon and your own will, you may or may not remember even meeting the dragon. Either way, this is the safest of the three scenarios. It’s also the most common. Depending on where you live, you may be encountering dragons on a regular basis and just not noticing or remembering them.

Three. The dragon wants to engage you.

This scenario can go in a number of different ways. For example, if the dragon wants a duel with a human, and you’ll sense this right away, power up as quickly as you can. This is vanishingly rare, considering dragons don’t fight humans except to challenge themselves against a particular skill set. The chances of you having that challenge capability is remote. But if you are some kind of savant, be ready for this at any time. I’m not kidding. Don’t leave the house until you’re ready for the fight of your life.

A more common example is the dragon wants some information from you. Again, if you don’t have the will to resist, the dragon will get the information and you’ll never remember even seeing a dragon. Now, if you do have the will to resist, set up your defenses, but then cooperate as much as you can. The dragon is going to get what it wants. Besides, there is no reason not to help dragons. That doesn’t mean you need to give something away for nothing. A dragon usually knows enough about you or your situation to help you. But dragons are also not going give something away for nothing. (Not usually anyway.)

Last and the least common is the dragon is looking for an ally. True, depending on the perspective, this ally could better be called a pawn. Traditionally, humans considered being a pawn an honor. I don’t think most dragons realize society has changed.

Rare, even within this rare scenario, an ally could be called friend or lover. I know, but think about it. Considering their longevity and relative power, a dragon wanting to become involved with a human? I guess I do know some people who have cockroaches as pets, so anything is possible. Even if you are that exceptional, the staggering differences almost ensure disaster. I know it has happened, but it requires an exceptional person and an exceptional circumstance. No matter how much you love them, you don’t ask your teens for help with your business plan. (Exactly, in an exceptional circumstance, your exceptional teen might be a great consultant.)

While rarest of the rare, I’ll comment briefly. If this is your situation, and a dragon wants to be friends or more—get ready. It’s one thing if you’re just starting the relationship. You can prepare a bit. But if you are already in a relationship, and just figuring out it’s with a dragon, buckle up. Dragons always dream big. I guarantee your dragon has a vision and the time, energy, and motivation to see that vision to the end.

Though challenging, if this is your situation you can count your lucky stars. You can learn a lot from a dragon.

So, there you go. Go practice your assessment glance. With it and a good dose of luck, you’re all ready to go out and live among dragons more successfully.

The post When Confronting a Dragon appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

I‘m stoked to announce that Haylwen Rightad wrote her first-ever blog post. The lovely people at As The Page Turns have agreed to be a stop on the Two Empty Thrones book tour. They asked someone to write a guest post, and Haylwen stepped up.

I don’t want to tell you too much about the post, but she did want me to let you know it’s about dragons. She’s rather passionate about it. Here’s a quote:

“…dragons are real. They’re not hiding in a cave somewhere, sitting on a pile of gold. Well, maybe they do that sometimes, but that’s not all they do. They’re walking around among us.”

Please head on over to www.asthepageturns.blogspot.com to show your support of a nervous and excited character, on her first blog post.

Since she really is trying to spread the word about dragons, please let your friends know about the post. (Unless of course they’re the ignorant/silly type who don’t believe in dragons. Yet.)

Depending on how it goes, I may be able to convince Haylwen and perhaps Cadarn to guest post on my site on occasion if that is something that interests any of you. So, if you’d like that, please let me know in the comment section below!

The post Haylwen's 1st Blog Post appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

I‘m stoked to announce that Haylwen Rightad wrote her first-ever blog post. The lovely people at As The Page Turns have agreed to be a stop on the Two Empty Thrones book tour. They asked someone to write a guest post, and Haylwen stepped up.

I don’t want to tell you too much about the post, but she did want me to let you know it’s about dragons. She’s rather passionate about it. Here’s a quote:

“…dragons are real. They’re not hiding in a cave somewhere, sitting on a pile of gold. Well, maybe they do that sometimes, but that’s not all they do. They’re walking around among us.”

Please head on over to www.asthepageturns.blogspot.com to show your support of a nervous and excited character, on her first blog post.

Since she really is trying to spread the word about dragons, please let your friends know about the post. (Unless of course they’re the ignorant/silly type who don’t believe in dragons. Yet.)

Depending on how it goes, I may be able to convince Haylwen and perhaps Cadarn to guest post on my site on occasion if that is something that interests any of you. So, if you’d like that, please let me know in the comment section below!

The post Haylwen’s 1st Blog Post appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

Fear not friends. I have not forgotten about you or my blog. I have merely been spending my “free” time (ha!) working on interviews, and guest blog posts for my book tour.

Darn, did I forget to mention that the virtual book tour for Two Empty Thrones is already well underway?

Well it is.

Here is the schedule if you’d like to follow along.

Monday, August 4 – Interview at PUYB Virtual Book Club

Tuesday, August 5 – Interview at As the Page Turns

Wednesday, August 6 – Book Featured at What Is That Book About

Friday, August 8 – Book Featured at Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews

Monday, August 11 – First Chapter Reveal at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, August 12 – Guest Blogging at I’m Shelf-ish

Wednesday, August 13 – Interview at Lori’s Reading Corner

Thursday, August 14 – Book Featured at Mom With a Kindle

Monday, August 18 – First Chapter Reveal at Literarily Speaking

Tuesday, August 19 – Book Review & Interview at Book Club Sisters

Wednesday, August 20 – Interview at The Dark Phantom

Thursday, August 21 – Guest Blogging at My Guilty Obsession

Monday, August 25 – First Chapter Reveal at The Book Rack

Tuesday, August 26 – Guest Blogging at The Book Faery Reviews

Friday, August 29 – Book Review at Deal Sharing Aunt

Monday, September 2 – Book Featured at Fallen Over Book Reviews

Tuesday, September 3 – Character Guest Post at As the Pages Turn

Wednesday, September 4 – Interview at Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection

Monday, September 8 – First Chapter Reveal at Read My First Chapter

Tuesday, September 9 – Interview at Beyond the Books

Wednesday, September 10 – Interview at Review From Here

Thursday, September 11 – Interview at Keep Calm and Write On

Monday, September 15  Interview at Straight From the Author’s Mouth

Tuesday, September 16 – Book Review at Through the Open Book

Wednesday, September 17 – Guest Blogging at Bea’s Book Nook

Book Review at My Life, Loves and Passions

Thursday, September 18 – Book Review at Blooming with Books

Monday, September 22 – Interview at Digital Pubbing

Tuesday, September 23 – Book Review at Ashley’s Bookshelf

Wednesday, September 24 – Book Review at Mary’s Cup of Tea

Thursday, September 25 – Book Review at Books, Reviews, ETC

Friday, September 26 – Character Interview at The Literary Nook

Monday, October 6 – Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Tuesday, October 7 – Book Review at CBY Book Club

Wednesday, October 8 – Book Review at Our Families Adventure

Thursday, October 9 – Book Review at Emeraldfire’s Bookmark

Monday, October 13 – Interview at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, October 14 – Book Review at Rhiannon H. Morris’ blog

Wednesday, October 15 – Book Review at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Thursday, October 16 – Interview at The Book Rack

Monday, October 20 – Interview at Allvoices

Tuesday, October 21 – Book Review at My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews

Wednesday, October 22 – Interview at Between the Covers

Thursday, October 23 – Interview at Blogcritics

Monday, October 27 – Interview at Literarily Speaking

Tuesday, October 28 – Book Review at Brooke Blogs

Wednesday, October 29 – First Chapter Reveal at She Writes

Friday, October 31 – Book Tour Highlights at PUYB Virtual Book Club

In between working full time, writing books, blogging and book tours I must fit in sleep somewhere, so to bed I go. Goodnight friends. May your dreams be full of dragons and magic.

The post Two Empty Thrones Book Tour Schedule appeared first on C. H. MacLean.

Sometimes I forget you just met these people.  While I know most of the rules of current human society, I don’t understand them and often don’t remember them until after I should have. Like introductions. Crystyn, too polite to interrupt, pounced on the opportunity when it presented itself and gently reminded me I didn’t introduce her and the others properly. So, I apologize, and let me introduce you to the Rightads:

Abrennin [pronounced:  ah BREN nin]

He works as a consultant, and travels from contract to contract, bringing his family with him. Family is core. He doesn’t talk about it, but he knows from his previous magical ability, and the sense of duty his family passed down, he was probably related to royalty. Abrennin knows a great deal about leadership, but the closest he aspires to be is a good guide, like a mentor. After his Oath, he found husband and parent more fulfilling than he could ever have hoped.

Crystyn [pronounced:  KRIS tin]

From a noble family, she has propriety and political machinations flowing through her blood and drilled in by teaching. But she is also smart and strong and fiery, although she wouldn’t admit those are true about her. Her upbringing made them taste inappropriate for a lady. Falling for Abrennin revealed her true self, and threw her life into absolute giddy confusion. She was a full-time mother for a long time and only recently started her own project management consultancy.

Cadarn [pronounced:  CAH darn]

A nerd, he’s much like his father, although his mother chose his name from an old magic book to be a warrior. His name means “strength”, as Crystyn hoped he would be strong enough to succeed without magic, growing up in their life of constant upheaval. He was the first Rightad male who didn’t receive the family tradition of being groomed for leadership by his parents, though his uncle is allowed some free rein. His parents count their lucky stars he is content to be constantly on the move and restricted in his social opportunities.

Haylwen [pronounced:  HAIL wen]

She has much of her father’s strength and mother’s fire, and was not an easy child. (After her, the Rightads agreed they were finished with children.) But she had the cards stacked against her before she was even born. Unknown to her parents, her name was subliminally planted by a dragon. Aylwen, or prophecy, was supposed to be Cadarn’s name, but dragon’s don’t understand human gestation that well, so mis-timed the suggestion. Haylwen just knows her name is yet another thing to be teased about, although secretly appreciates how it’s another way she can be unique. Her parents, trying to curb her enthusiasm for social interactions as a pre-schooler, unknowingly instilled a fear of people in her she is just starting to get past. Being her uncle’s favorite niece didn’t help either.

From time to time I’ll send peeks into their and other character’s past on the website or through the newsletter. But if you think of something you’d like to ask them, feel free.

The post Character Introductions appeared first on C. H. MacLean.