Brass Dragon Codex by R.D. Henham

"Never start a conversation with a brass dragon--it might never end! In another volume of the companion series to A Practical Guide to Dragons, orphaned baby brass dragon Kyani ventures out into the desert to find something to eat, and finds a gnome named Hector instead. Hector is not so sure he wants a chatty, hungry brass dragon following his every move. But several groups ready to go to blows over the marvelous invention Hector guards with his life, he may need the help that only a fun-loving brass dragon can provide."

Rebecca Shelley, writing as R.D. Henham has once again delivered a fast paced interesting book. I invited my youngest daughter (let's call her J) to help me review this book. J read Red Dragon Codex and loved it. When she heard about the Brass Dragon Codex, she couldn't wait to get to the book.

She said the book is full of adventure and interesting characters. The characters grow in the book and learn the importance of truly listening to others. I think it is a wonderful story and lots of fun to read aloud with the kids. I asked J to come up with some questions to ask Rebecca.

J: How did you come up with the interesting names?
Rebecca: Krynn is a shared world. The Dragonlance books have been around since I was a kid, so there are a lot of characters and places that existed long before I got a chance to write in this fun world. Many of the characters that appear in Brass Dragon Codex originated in other Dragonlance books.

We have the author Dan Willis to thank for the names (and the wonderful characters) Mudd, Heira, and Hector and, I think, the name of the gnome town, Haggersmoore (introduced in Dragon Well and Dragon Knight). The author Stephen D. Sullivan came up with Syndall, Connal, Ariana, Amber, Shara, Shem, Goldmane, the Bronze Giant, and the city Kaal, and town of Purespring (appearing in the Goodlund Trilogy).

I could go on with many other authors and what they've contributed to this world, not the very least of which are Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman who wrote the original Dragonlance Chronicles and brought the Dragonlance world into being, but that's probably enough on this subject.

It is fun to write in such a deep and rich world and add my small part to it. I came up with the name Kyani (tumbleweed). In the Practical Guide to Dragons it shows the baby brass dragons as a tarnished brass color (a somewhat greenish black with flecks of lighter brass.) that is similar to a mineral called Kyanite. So that's where I got his name. Here are some links to images of Kyanite.

http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/earthsci/imagearchive/Kyanite%20955.jpg
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2613886300017354934fPWEFK

Of course a dragon can't go telling everyone his true name. It's said that if someone knows your true name, they can have power to command and control you. So, since he lived in the desert, I thought the name Tumbleweed would be appropriate, especially since he tends to wander around aimlessly like a tumbleweed.

The captain, Peyote, also has a desert plant name. The peyote is a kind of cactus. I thought that would fit since Peyote is kind of prickly in the story.

J: Why did you make the brass dragon so talkative?
Rebecca: Great question. Since the dragon codex books are companion to the Practical Guide to Dragons, I got to make my brass dragon fit what it says in the book. Here's what it says in the Practical Guide: "The brass dragon loves to talk, and it often ensnares unsuspecting travelers in a bout of long-winded conversation. . . . like its elders the wyrmling is born with the gift of gab. It will talk on and on and on, at times about seemingly nothing. It will talk to animals that can't talk back. It will even talk to itself if no one is near."

J: I can't wait for you next book. What are you working on now?
Rebecca: Right now, I've just started a book tentatively called The Elves of Lincoln Junior High. We've seen so many books about vampires, werewolves, witches and wizards in school, I thought it was high time the elves got a chance to shine, or at least get to blow things up in some seriously fun North vs South type action with a little romance thrown in along the way.

J: What other books have you written?
Rebecca: I've written the Red Dragon Codex, which started the dragon codex series. In addition, I've written a number of other books that have yet to be published. Here are three that are currently being looked at by publishers.

Take Monkey, a literary genius with flatulence; Bean, a science and math guru with a dangerous bug collection; Vinny, a computer whiz who can't keep her mouth shut; and Art, an artist who can shoot a basketball like a pro, confront them with a mess of fourth grade trouble, and watch the fun explode in the Smartboys Club, a chapter book series.

Mist Warriors is a retelling of "Chylde Roland and the Goblin King" aimed at a middle-grade audience. When Robby Chylde's sister, Ellen, rollerblades around the church and vanishes into the mist, Robby sets out to find her. His search leads him into the Goblin Kingdom where he discovers a goblin plot to conquer the Faerie lands. Now it's up to Robby to battle savage goblins, defeat the Goblin King, free Ellen, and save the Faerie Kingdom.

In Screepy and the Egyptian Curse, Screepy witnesses another girl killed in a car crash with a vehicle carrying relics from King Tut's tomb. An artifact damaged in the crash releases the spirits of ancient evil priests and plunges Screepy and the ghost girl into a three thousand-year-old mystery, which they must solve before the priests take control of the city and enslave its inhabitants.

J: Those all sound fun. One last question. What is your favorite mythical creature?
Rebecca: It's a tie between dragons, elves, and fairies.

Thanks Rebecca. This book can be found here and visit Rebecca's site here.

The Forgotten Warrior by Kathi Oram Peterson

"Sydney Morgan is no wimp. A black belt in karate, her defensive moves help keep her tough, even when her mom is diagnosed with cancer and her long-lost dad shows up to play nice guy. But when an unexpected gift transports her through space and time to the land of Zarahemla, Syd just might be in over her head. Accused of being a spy, she has to prove she’s no threat to the locals—including Captain Helaman himself!

As war quickly approaches, Helaman calls on Syd to help his stripling warriors prepare to fight. Torn between concern for her family and for her new friends, Syd musters her wits, strength, and faith to face the coming battle—but her feelings for Chief Warrior Tarik put her heart on the line. Who will survive the Lamanites’ fierce onslaught? And will Syd ever make it home again?"

This is an interesting fictional look at the strippling warriors through Syd Morgan's eyes. Syd is fun character to read about with problems she can't do anything about, so she just has to learn to survive. I enjoy reading Book of Mormon fiction and trying to get a picture in my head of what things may have been like for the people I read about in my scriptures. I was a little disappointed in the time travel part. It seemed too abrupt and too convenient. And her first few hours with Captain Heleman, I didn't quite believe. But once I got past that, I got into the story and enjoyed the book. I especially liked the character Lib and his efforts to prove he could fight with his big brother and the rest of the strippling warriors. The cliffhanger at the end caught me by surprise, so now I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens to Syd and Tarik.

Kathi was kind enough to answer a few questions:

Have you always wanted to be a writer? I have always enjoyed reading novels, but the writing bug didn’t bite until after I’d had my first child. My first book was dreadful. I’ve written many unpublished books and with each one I’ve learned more.

Tell us a little bit about your book(s). Which ones are your favorites if you have more than one, and briefly let us know what they are about. Pay particular attention to your most recent book and/or your first book: The first few books I wrote were romantic suspense. I love the challenge of plotting a good suspense and I’ve always been partial to romance. When the time comes, I hope I can revisit those books and make them marketable. The Forgotten Warrior, which is my debut young-adult novel, was a pleasure to write. My son suggested I write about the stripling warriors. I wanted to have a young woman as my protagonist, and I wanted her to be from our time. So, of course, she had to travel through history. The story really took off from there. I loved imagining what Captain Helaman was like. I used Friberg’s famous painting of Captain Helaman with the stripling warriors for inspiration, but a picture really doesn’t tell a lot, so I did as much research as I could and from there I developed my version of Captain Helaman and his warrior sons. I also wanted to use actual events from the Book of Mormon and write the story around the battles and trials the warriors lived through.

What inspires you and motivates you to write the very most? I don’t believe it is one thing. I have to have the beginning and ending of a story firmly in mind before I start a book. The middle seems to take care of itself as I write and do research. So I guess to answer the question for me a good idea with a beginning and ending inspires me most.

Is there an established writer you admire and emulate in your own writing? Do you have a writing mentor? For years I adored Mary Higgins Clark. The first book I read of hers, Where Are The Children, grabbed me from page one. I even met her once in Omaha, Nebraska at a writers’ conference. Very inspiring woman, who has paid her dues for the success she now enjoys. I’ve also admired Francine Rivers’ novels especially her Voice in the Wind saga. I have many mentors. I belong to a wonderful writing group with many authors. We’ve been meeting for over 20 years. They are all my mentors.

Currently who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read? I enjoy YA books. Mainly fantasy YA. I don’t have to worry so much about coming across offensive words or pornographic scenes and they always have wonderful adventures to share. Some of the YA authors I’ve enjoyed are Sharon Creech, Karen Hesse, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle, and Lois Lowry to name a few.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)? I worked on The Forgotten Warrior a little over a year. Midway into writing I realized I had two books when it felt like the story climaxed just after the Battle for Cumeni, so I thought that would be a good place to stop book one. Book two could then climax with Syd fighting in the Battle for Zarahelma alongside Captain Moroni. I think it worked out for the best that way. And there’s the possibility for a third book that would follow Tarik coming to our time for a while then going back to help Moroni capture the City of Nephihah.

What is your main goal or purpose you would like to see accomplished by your writing? My deepest wish is to inspire young adults to believe in themselves, have faith in God, and to read, read, read!

Is there anything you want your readers to know? Wow, what a set up…to say anything I want my readers to know. I’d really like to write something profound…something that would inspire them. However, the only thing I can think of is a very old, cliché saying that rings so true: believe in your dreams.

Anyone who wants to find out more about me and what I’m up to can go to my website: www.kathiorampeterson.com. For those who want to read more of my writing, you can go to my blogsite: www.kathiswritingnook.com. The Forgotten Warrior can be ordered online at http://www.covenant-lds.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com, and http://www.deseretbook.com.