The Dragons' Geas: Bloodmines Finalized and 10 Things I Learned This ...

The Dragons' Geas: Bloodmines Finalized and 10 Things I Learned This ...: Two days from the end of the year, Bloodmines has been sent to the Publisher for final review of the format changes. Depending on this r...

David Stevens Books: A Personal Message

David Stevens Books: A Personal Message: Dear friends and followers of The Mysterious David Stevens: Some News! I have said before that I want to be the writer that gives ...

Farloft's Dragon Reference Shett

It turns out all dragons in the social sector have Reference Sheets. 

Farloft couldn't be without his own. 

Here it is by BlueKite of Deviant Art 

Everything you ever wanted to know about Farloft, but were hesitant to ask.

Dragonflying by David Stevens - Chapter 3

Dragonflying

by David Stevens

Introduction.

Welcome to the Kingsland, a place where the unthinkable can happen and often does, where life exists that can be found in no other such place. Welcome to the old man’s front porch, where he holds court and regales all who will listen with his tales of mystery and magic, but mostly of dragons and his life with one such supposedly mythical creature.

Chapter 3

The chill of fall had arrived, surrounding the home of the elderly man of mystery. The trees were shedding their deep covering of leaves, scattering them across the barren ground. Beyond him, as he looked out of his surroundings, he saw men and women working, doing the back-breaking toil of turning the soil for next year’s crops. Behind them the older children splattered the gathered and prepared droppings, taken, collected and saved from the domesticated animals that the village kept, which had been mixed with fresh river water and had been turned into a thick soup which would refresh the land and revitalise it for the next year’s planting. The fertiliser was held in hide bags with a drip nozzle at the base which the elder children held out to their right as they walked the turned field, letting the liquid drip to the ground.

The old man reached into a deeply carved and hollowed out tree trunk. It resembled a huge glass which tapered up from a wide base to a narrowed middle, then flared out creating the area from which the flames of burning logs would erupt. With a delicate click of his fingers, which was hardly heard, but the effect of his action was clearly seen, flames leapt upward generating heat to keep the ancient porch and the children gathered around warm against the light chill of fall.

The rocking chair waited as the old man stepped over and turned bowing slightly to the children, who were all seated on the plank floor cross legged. Each child attentively waited in eager anticipation of the tale he was going to tell them, an old tale of magic, mystery and dragons. Especially dragons. The children loved the creature the old man had introduced them to…

 

Having sat down, he looked around him seeing, but not seeing what was all about him. His eyes glazed over and his breathing slowed as he looked deep into the past.

“Now where was I?” He asked of no one, his voice barely a whisper not meant to be heard. “Where indeed?”

He coughed making the children jump as all around them the air warmed up, as though the flames burning so brightly were to be a part of the tale they would hear.

  

He began to speak slowly and clearly, and the children listened.

  

“The fresh meat peeled free from the carcass with ease. I placed it on the hide I had removed intending to take it indoors. Above me, eagerly watching and waiting, was my new dragonish companion. I glanced upwards, seeing it open its wings slightly whilst puffing up its chest as though getting ready to do something awfully brave.”

The old man lifted his head surveying the eager and interested faces of the gathered children before him.

“I picked up a small hunk of freshly trimmed meat and held it high, before tossing it upwards towards the obviously interested hatchling. The creature leapt forward, lean’t down and launched from the roof to intercept the flying offering. One wing opened revealing the deep, but slightly lighter red colouring within, the other did not. The dragon had not quite got the idea of flight, despite it having flown out of my home and up to the roof.

“It spiralled in the air corkscrewing round and round until with a splash and a leaping of water it tumbled into the water trough! I stood up with fear for the hatchling bursting in my chest. Far away over by the trees a screech erupted and then fell silent, having filled the sky and the land around me.

“I reached into the water lifting the creature from its near watery grave. It flapped its wings, both of them, sending glittering droplets of water cascading across the dry ground and at the same time soaking me. I smiled down at it, soothing it, whispering tender words of reassurance to it as it beat at the air. Its claws gripped my thin arms hard, but not hard enough to draw blood.

“I eased myself to the ground reaching down to where the meat I had thrown up had landed. Picking it up I offered it to the hatchling who had stopped his agitated flapping. The meat vanished from my hands, then his head tilted back and with a single swallow the meat was gone. At least feeding the hatchling was not going to be a problem judging from how easily it had devoured the offered food. I looked up at the sky and wondered, then I turned my attention back to the now and to food for us both.”

Beyond the Knowledge of the Old Man.

Three Days Earlier Deep in the Woods of the Kingsland

Trees mighty and tall surrounded an open dell in which tall grass reigned. To the far side of the dell an area had been flattened, and within that area there waited a female dragon with ancient eyes and a faded blue green scaly hide. Slightly behind her and in total contrast to the large female was another, her scales glowed with bright iridescent colour. Her size was dwarfed by the female who was her mother.

Beneath the curved tail of the larger dragoness, tucked gently in grass that had been ripped from the ground, there lay three newly laid dragon eggs. Each had been cleaned perfectly. Each was the pride of their ancient mother and the delight of her young daughter.

People rarely if ever penetrated the darker woodlands of the Kingsland, but on this day a lone mounted rider burst from the far side of the woods. His horse effortlessly parted a clear path until animal and rider had entered the open area. The dragoness looked up. Her discomfort at laying three eggs passed away instantly as she reared up. She looked down from on high at the new arrival, noting the white armour covering the interloper from head to foot, whilst he sat astride his white horse. Something odd drew the dragoness’ attention and sounded a warning in her thoughts. A warning she swiftly passed to the younger dragoness behind her.

“Run child, and fly,” she whispered in desperation, even as she turned her head back to face the slowly approaching threat. The whiteness of the armour shimmered as though it was wet. In fact, not just wet but covered in flowing water. The fading sunlight splintered when it touched the watery coating, shattering into rainbows of great beauty and dire meaning.

Behind her the mother dragon of the three newly laid eggs and a nine year old daughter, heard the scuffling as her daughter obeyed her warning. The dragoness dare not take her eyes off the mounted creature, for she knew that the thing before her was no human knight out to make his name, but something much older, something much more dangerous and intrinsically evil.

A large bow lifted smoothly from the knight’s side. It was drawn back to an impossible length and the shaft released. She in her defence tried to burn the shaft, but it sailed untouched through her wall of flame. The tip of the shaft pierced her just beneath her breast bone, driving deep into her chest before being pulled out by her reaching teeth. The metal of the tip remained behind it having parted from the shaft. The poison it delivered spread fast, burning through the female dragon, death reared its ugly head and she knew it was her time.

For over a thousand years she had ruled over the skies, travelling where and when she wanted, but even with her mighty age she could not resist the white knight’s intent. He front legs collapsed beneath her as the knight astride his horse approached slowly. The bow vanished back where it had come from and instead clasped hard in the knight’s hand was a single spear with another metal tip, though this one looked fine and almost delicate as it tapered to a point.

The dragoness resisted the urge to lie down. She eased her pain filled legs together lifting her body back upward, determined to fight back. Flame roared as she squeezed fire towards the mounted knight. The flame surrounded and reached out to enclose the knight, but at the last second it withered away unable to penetrate the watery coating of the armour. The dragon, her strength gone, collapsed to the ground, her hind legs kicked back in uncontrolled spasms of agony. Two of the eggs she had so laboriously laid shattered, crushed by the impact of her clawed feet. The third lifted out of the nest and was cast into the long grasses hidden from sight.

The knight approached her. He dismounted or rather the horse became a part of the knight as the two blended together. The spear shortened, a pennant of red and black appeared just behind the steel of the tip. The knight carefully took aim. A single thrust and it was all over for the dragoness. She bellowed her defiance just once and as her voice faded to nothing, so followed her life.

The knight withdrew the weapon. His mission complete he turned away from the ancient corpse, changing himself as he walked across the grass to the woodland edge. He had become a she! He had become a woman of sorts, a slight built woman wearing a flowing white cotton dress that was soaked with water. She vanished into the woods, gone but not forgotten by the young female dragon who had watched her mother killed from her concealment.

She felt sorrow and anger as a great loss filled her young chest. Her head reared back and a single flame burst forth to illuminate the fast passing day. Wails of despair replacing it to be cast into the coming night. She stopped her keening eventually and approached her mother, hoping to be able to do something to save her. She realised that the mighty head lying on the folded front legs was no more her mother. She was gone, taken from her. All that was left was a shell that would soon vanish back into the world that had given her life.

She looked at the shattered eggs, seeing the remnants of two, then wondering where the third might be. She searched and soon found it. The egg was intact and still alive, but it would not be for very long if she could not provided it with a warm safe environment. She tried, she flattened the grass surrounding the egg and wrapped herself around it to keep it warm. She knew even as she tried that she could not look after the young creature that would soon hatch.

Her mother had pointed out a young boy to her. One she had said would be a great friend to all dragons if he lived. She wondered, then decided as dawn approached. Gently she picked up the egg in her mouth and with her wings outstretched she took to the air. One thought filling her mind, one desire remaining before she departed from this evil land. She had to save her sibling. She had to.

The boy was easy to see as he walked with little concern along the path that led to his humble home. She circled in silence, selecting the perfect place along his route, a place where effortlessly she landed and gently she placed the single remaining egg. She flew upward suppressing her desire to screech. She sought the clouds and waited. She had to make certain the boy found the egg and more importantly took it home with him, if she was to have any peace of mind.

A rabbit flitted into the young dragoness’ keen sight, even as she watched the boy bend over the discovered egg, and carefully after studying it he picked it up, taking it with him. She swooped fast on silent extended wings catching and killing the unwary creature instantly. She floated ahead of the walking boy, depositing the dead rabbit where he was certain to locate it. Tomorrow she would see to the provision of a more sturdy satisfying meal, but for tonight the rabbit would have to do. She screeched, her young voice tearing at the night air as the boy and her sibling reached the shack her mother had informed her was his home. She departed into the clouds again, leaving behind her sibling and her best wishes.

The next day she dropped the dead carcass of a deer outside of the front door and departed never to return, never to know if what she had done had been the right thing for her to do. She understood that she could not look after a baby dragon and that the boy could, or so she hoped! She had a life to live and she desired nothing more than to turn her tail on the corrupted land beneath her wings; a land with an unknown evil walking its surface.

She vanished as the door to the home opened and the meal of fresh meat she had deposited was discovered. She did not know that she had been seen briefly by the boy as she had hastily departed, not that it would have mattered to her if she had known. She had done her duty to her mother and her sibling and now she was free to live her life…

Beneath her the world of a young lad changed yet again, his future altered, his life took a new pathway. He was no longer alone and free to do as he pleased, instead he had company and responsibility for another.

*****

The children had listened as many others before them had listened to the old man, and his tales of creatures and dragons. Like many others before them they wondered if the stories were true, if the dragon had really existed, if they were living in the place he talked about.

Some looked around, others looked up towards the storm livened clouds. Beyond them others, fathers, mothers and siblings tended the fields, as one day in the not too distant future they would. For now they were being allowed to listen and learn and wonder, and they did. For it was said that those that lived on the outer edges of the Kingsland often wondered.

Farloft's Reference Sheet

Farloft learned last month, during his Twitter session, that most dragons had reference sheets. 

When someone asked him how tall he was he couldn't really tell them. 

I did some measuring.

BlueKite-Falls of Deviant Art put the information to paper along with some great art.

If you want to know more about Farloft then what is on his sheet,

check out his books at Books.TheresaSnyderAuthor.com

Dragon Save Christmas by the Mysterious David Stevens

Dragons Save Christmas

By David Stevens

Part 1 (2013)

It was one of those days where the wind was whistling across the arid snow-field. The call of the winter was building, but none of that mattered as the old man swung his huge feet out of his bed. He stood up and stretched, then with still slightly blurry eyes (too much eggnog last night) he reached out and picked up his trousers. He stepped lithely into them for a man of his great age. Next he pulled on his jacket adding a thick belt, and then bending and squinting, he looked down to find his black boots. His white beard as always stood out perfectly, framing his smiling happy face.

He was awake, alert and had things, far too many things to do this morning. First though he had animals to pat and talk to as well as feed, or there would be complaints. The reindeer had arrived as they always did and in plenty of time for the big day, it was to them that he strolled whistling a jolly tune, a smile fixed firmly on his face.

As he approached the first of the reindeer stalls a loud barking cough filled the air, followed swiftly by a heart rending sneeze. Santa, the old man, halted; concern blooming in his thoughts as he listened hard. The sneeze was repeated and others joined in. The reindeer were ill and by the sound of it they were suffering badly with colds and barking coughs. Oh dear, it was going to be Christmas-eve in just a few short hours! The busiest time of the year for him and without the reindeer to pull the sled for him. Christmas was in danger of being cancelled for the first time in many long centuries!

Santa opened the first door and looked in. Rudolf with his nose so red, looked up at Santa with his eyes filled with moisture and his nose flickering as he breathed. He was looking pathetic, standing on wobbly legs, shivering as though he was cold. Santa halted, he looked again and then he called for help.

“Help!” He screamed, “The reindeer are ill! Help,” he called attracting the attention of every elf in the building. Toys froze in mid-air, paintbrushes stopped in mid-stroke, the business of Christmas halted with Santa’s call.

Sharing Your Life with a Dragon

  Sharing your life with a dragon. Some of the pitfalls to be encountered.

                                                   By David Stevens

    The Red Dragon, or as it is sometimes called the Fire Dragon is a creature of immense mythical proportions. Those of us that are fortunate enough to have encountered such creatures during their formative years, soon realise that they are honoured to be counted amongst their friends.

   In my case I discovered a single egg some years ago. To this day I do not know if the egg I encountered had been placed perfectly for myself to discover, or had arrived at the point of our meeting by coincidence. To me it matters not in its origin, only does it matter that since my discovery I have been associated with a creature I am proud to call my friend, and with whom at times I despair of.

Farloft's Coloring Contest

Bluekite, a very talented artist from the UK, has recently been working on doing some portraits of Farloft the dragon for his new coloring book. He wanted to share, so he asked me to post some of them here. You can go to his site for more pictures and to enter Farloft's Coloring Contest

These are his two favorites.

Doing the Happy Dance

Cuddling with his dear friend and companion, Flutterby, the flying cat

Dragonflying by David Stevens - One of the Founding Members of The Society of Enlightened Dragonologists

Dragonflying

by David Stevens

Introduction.

Welcome to the Kingsland, a place where the unthinkable can happen and often does, where life exists that can be found in no other such place. Welcome to the old man’s front porch, where he holds court and regales all who will listen with his tales of mystery and magic, but mostly of dragons and his life with one such supposedly mythical creature.

The Simple Facts that Changed a Simple Life

Chapter 1.

The old man sitting on his porch, on the outer edge of a small village, was lost in the past. He absently packed his pipe as his mind wandered. The group of children sat before him in silence, patiently waiting, filled with expectation.

He found himself looking out at a distant sky where clouds formed and rain filled the air. It was going to be another one of those nights, long, cold, wet and damp to the bones, which made them ache. Something caught his eye, something flitting, something flying - something more of a moving dot hidden within the clouds. Something was there above him, something he had not seen the like of for many, many years. Something he had hoped, but never really expected to see again in his lifetime.  

The dragon would be there to claim its vengeance, if indeed he had really seen a dragon high-up in the clouds?

Life for the old man was just that, a life he had lived. He had no choice in its path; he took everything offered to him by fate. The only thing that came out of his life that was any good had been his children. He had a son who lived in the Castle and Ruled. That had been many years before. Now even the son was gone, taken from him at the point of a creature’s nature, and still he somehow was alive, but lost to the old man and the world around him.

No parent should ever have to outlive his child he thought, as lightning flickered through the air above them. No parent should ever have to watch as their offspring was stolen from them to be forever lost. 

The old man lit his pipe. Slowly the rain began to pour, it swiftly built and continued to build until he was looking out from under his shelter at a downpour, the like of which he had never seen before in his life. He leaned forward, the smoke from his pipe escaping the confines of the porch to the cloudy skies above. Somewhere up there hidden from sight there waited a dragon. He could almost feel its presence, but then he always could. A dragon he shared a portion of his life with and a dragon he had called his friend, but that was so long ago he realised, so very long ago.  

So many years lost deep in his past. It was at a time when he was young and he was nothing more than an adventure filled youth.

In his mind’s eye the old man trawled his memory as he sat intently watching the sky, always watching the sky whilst waiting for his life choices to catch-up with him.  

Finally he settled on what he believed to be the start of his life as it was to become.

The old man faded away from the world, his mind lost in the distant past, words began to flow from his cracked ancient lips, as the children leaned forward in expectation. He began to talk, though if asked later he would deny having said anything, but still he spoke; his voice clear and strong for one of such great age.

          “Once there was a dragon. Once, the dragon was my friend,” he said clearly. “Now I wait knowing that one day the dragon will return. One day justice would be done. The things that I have seen and done will have to be atoned for!”

The old man began to spin his tale. As the children listened the words flowed and the tale being told unfolded before their young eyes. A tale you are invited to listen to as well.

 

  

He saw her from afar and liked what he saw, but she hadn’t seen him. That was the way of poachers and he was a poacher. He was on the Kingsland, a place that young lads like him should never be found. So, he endeavoured to never be found. He crept down to the waters edge intending to tickle a trout, preferably without being caught.

He nearly reached the lake and was about to push through the last of the dense bushes, prior to his stepping out into the open air and heading down to where the rocks and the fish waited, when something caught his attention. What he saw stunned him into immobility; it was a woman, a young woman, perhaps only a couple of years older than himself.

She was dressed in what looked like a flowing ethereal gown, and walking with a fixed purpose. Slowly she was approaching the far side of the lake. He hesitated, ducking back from sight, but making sure that he could see her clearly. She looked around her, even glancing across the lake; her eyes passing over the place that he was hidden in. Something happened to him. Some feeling of being drawn by her presence entered into him. Only his deeply held desire for caution stopped him from standing up and showing himself to her. Her lightest of gazes passed on, departing from him and taking the draw he felt with it. He ducked down even further, feeling terrified by the thoughts her simple passing gaze generated in him.

She stepped lightly down the sloping bank seeming to almost glide over the mud that separated her from the water’s edge. Then much to his surprise, she waded into the lake and vanished beneath its smooth surface, leaving barely a ripple on the water. He nearly dove in to save her thinking she was drowning. Then he realised that she lived there. She was of the water. She was a creature living beneath its surface. She was one of those from the darkness, one of them from the dark tales told around fires by old men with nothing better to do than scare the young, but she was real not some character in a tall tale. They, it is said, rise up breaching the sunlight on occasions when it suits them for whatever purpose. He remembered the tales he listened to always said, when they rose, death and misery would follow in the wake of their irresistible beauty.

His trout tickling forgotten, he remained hidden watching the water, looking for ripples but seeing nothing. Still that didn’t stop him looking after all she was worth looking for. He waited, he waited longer than he might have intended to because eventually night fell and then the rain closed in. He watched as the falling rain water splashed and splattered on the lake’s surface, he watched the raindrops joining with it, he waited some more and then she finally reappeared.

First a hand reared out of the water, followed by a head covered with beautiful golden dripping wet hair. He held his breath watching, there was nothing else he could do. If she saw him, he knew he would be lost. He remembered the tales of how these creatures of the river sought out anyone that they could drag to their doom. He didn’t want to be dragged to his doom, but he did want to see her one last time even if it did cost him his life - so magical was the draw she exuded even at the slightest view of her.

He saw her. He was granted a touch of her magic from afar and he remained concealed and therefore safe from her allure. That was the first time - the first of many times to come. That was the day his thoughts turned to creatures both mythical and distant and somewhat dangerous. She didn’t look dangerous, yet deep in his heart he knew that she was. She just looked beautiful to his eyes. What was a boy to do he wondered? He watched her move around the lake and then she vanished, gone from him, a vision lost.

It was on the way back from seeing her he found the egg. He picked it up in desperation intending to carry it home. His intent was simply to crack it open, than cook it, as there was no food on the table and the cupboards were bare. In fact, there was no food at all, the reason why was quite simple.

His father was killed in the wars, his mother left him. He was alone in a shack that leaked in the rain, he was hungry, and now he had an egg. His luck was beginning to change he thought. As he walked back he also found a dead rabbit, which had been clearly hit by a bird of prey of some sort, but it was then dropped.

He could see the claw marks that ripped into the flesh. He picked it up, as there was no point leaving good food behind. So now he was carrying the egg and the dead rabbit. He headed back to his humble shack, departing or was it escaping the Kingsland and its threats. Anyway he was safe and free from the Kingsland. Away from the lake and the river and the threats contained within.

He wondered as he walked if anyone actually knew about the girl or who she was, what she was or where she had been? For some reason he decided she was his secret and would remain so. He wondered if she was alone like him, lost, forgotten and unwanted, or was she something quite different? He wondered what would have happened should he have spoken to her, if he called out or dove in and swam over to her. The answer was simple; he figured that he would now be dead - a corpse rotting on the bottom of the river. His natural reaction, his being cautious, meant that he, instead of being dead, was walking towards his home with a rabbit and an egg; food enough to keep him going. He had fresh water in the well, a roof of sorts over his head. In fact, his life was a good deal better than it had been for quite a while.

A small fire burned in the fire-pit, the rabbit skinned and speared through roasted quite nicely in the flames. Luckily his father, before he went gone to war, taught him how to skin, gut and prepare the likes of a rabbit. That was before he disappeared, gone away and died fighting for some stupid cause and for some stupid King that really didn’t care whether he fought or not.

It was as the rabbit roasted over the fire that it happened. That was when the egg cracked. From within, something little poked through a hole in the shell, he thought it was beak, he thought the egg was some sort of duck or similar. He was wrong. It was a dragon – a tiny baby red dragon. A dragon with wings that unfolded as it forced its way out from within the egg shell. The dragon that would be his, that would accompany him, that would help him, that would be his friend was born (or was it hatched) he remembered thinking. That was when he acquired a dragon. That was the day his life changed forever. It was also the day he set out unwittingly on a series of adventures would change his life forever.

It was the dragon that later, much later in his life he would betray. A dragon that should have died, but never did.

    

The old man took a deep breath sucking on the clay pipe and then he looked around. Seated before him, with the sunshine now burning down on them were a number of children. The skies had cleared, as had his thoughts. He smiled, realising that he had wandered into his past and was telling the children how his life was changed.

The children liked his stories; they loved listening to him especially when he was talking about the dragon and their adventures together. They listened, absorbing the scared lonely old man’s tale as though it were nothing more than a fairytale told for their pleasure. They did not know his story was real. The dragon existed. The water creature indeed swam for him.

They would return tomorrow or another day to hear more. When they did he would drift off once again into his remembrances, and so he would entertain them with what they believed to be tales of wonder and magic. He would sit with his pipe regaling them, but for himself he would at the same time be laying away a few ghosts, clearing his mind and preparing his soul as he awaited justice to catch up with him.

Sometimes he wondered if it ever would catch up with him, it had  been  so long ago since the fateful last day of his friendship with a true dragon passed, but then high above his head there were clouds and dragons liked to fly amongst the clouds.

He watched as the children, called by their parents, departed for their beds, a frightened lonely old man sitting on a bench placed on a rickety porch many miles from where he was born, waiting for something that might never happen.

GoGoDragons - Norwich 2015

I met these lovely folks on Twitter at @gogodragons2015.
I wanted to pass on the 'heads up' for this wonderful event.

Wild in Art has chosen the Dragon, a mythical creature whose legend is much imbedded in the history of Norwich, for a Dragon Walk.

GoGoDragons! are looking for artists to submit designs and businesses to sponsor the Dragons working towards a stunning trail around the city of Norwich in June 2015.

As well as the main Dragon sculptures, there will also be community and school projects to engage with the widest possible audience. (Farloft is hoping to get in on helping the kids with their summer reading.)

Checking out their site : gogodragons

You have time to make reservations to attend this fun event. 

(If I can sell enough Farloft Chronicles, the dragon and I are going to see it!)

Two of the finished dragons. Handsome!

We are moving in!

Our website at dragonologists.com is built and up. Thank you to Jon for the hours of work he put in preparing a professional site.  Warning, the black bar on the left hand side is a menu bar.  It slides open if you need it.

Our blog will be http://www.dragonologists.com/society-blog/ and we hope you all will continue to participate and follow us there.

Cheri and Theresa.

Last Chance to be a Founding Member!

The Society of Enlightened Dragonologists is set to launch next week.  We are still taking applications to be listed as a founding member.  We will first and foremost promote that dragons are:
1. Real
2. Intelligent
3. Magical
4. Universally different as humans.

We will also be promoting any illustrator, artist or author who depicts dragons in their full beautiful array.  From the most evil to the most gentle of these magnificent creatures, we will see that the word is spread that dragons are more than just a target for the end of some fame seeking knight's lance.

Join us today and become a founding member!!

Win a Full Set of The Farloft Chronicles

Want 5 volumes of Dragon fun similar to
How to Train Your Dragon?

It's fun and easy to participate in this game.

Pick up a button from Farloft's Hoard

Place it somewhere and take a picture. Like these:

Put your picture here in the comments, 

or tweet it to @TheresaSnyder19, 

or email it to TheresaSnyderAuthor@gmail.com 

You will be entered in a monthly drawing for the a Full Set of The Farloft Chronicles

For more examples and past winners Click here for Farloft's Blog Farloft's Rhetoric 

LET THE GAME BEGIN!

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Unenlightened Dragonologist could pick up a few pointers from this film. 

As an Enlightened Dragonologist I will point out just a few you should take particular not of:

1. Do not antagonize your dragon. (He may threaten to drop you off a cliff.)
2. Keep items around for your dragon to entertain themselves. ie. logs, sheep, fish etc.
3. Do not try to control baby dragons. Go with the flow, or flight, as the case may be.
4. Stroke, pet, nuzzle, scratch your dragon often. They love gentle human contact.
5. Avoid dragon slobber. It is difficult to get out of clothing.

Wizard of ID - Parker

Just some Wizard of ID fun for all of us who love our Dragons.

The Farloft Chronicles

Pleased to announce The Farloft Chronicles are coming out in Paperback
this month.  

The Farloft Chronicles - Now in Paperback!

4 & 5 available by the end of the month.

Some folks already have their copies.

Dragon Kites

I have the best dentist. He has a dragon kite in each of his patient rooms. 

This one was in my room. 

Something to look at while getting my crown done. 

Almost makes it worth going to the dentist. 

NOT!

Announcement to Founding Members!

If you have an avatar or a picture that you would like on your personal author/illustrator page, please let me know.   We are entering testing this next week and finalizing artwork ect. I will be brave, here is mine!

Fire update!   Our little wild farm is still safe at this time.  Praying for all the firefighters throughout Oregon and Washington states.

Invitation to New Dragonologist Members!

We have many approve new authors.  I am hoping they will start putting short stories and dragon information here soon.  The website is almost complete. The previews of the site have been very very exciting. We will move this blog to the site's blog once it is done.

I found this artist and he gave me permission to post his dragon.  I thought it wonderful and a unique facial structure.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I.  His name is Kurt Brugel.

Check this for more!

Those of you who have accepted your author status, please post quips, information on your books.. your dragons ect.

On the Origin and Evolution Through the Course of Natural Selection of Dragons

"On the Origin of Dragons, all dragons, like every living thing in this world, evolved from some primeval life form through the course of natural selection. I, as a student of Dr. Earnest Drake, do believe, that dragons evolved from some undersea reptile some billion years ago.

 Through the process of natural selection, this undersea reptile found fit to evolve into something larger and deadlier, in order to catch prey that was evolving to become larger and deadlier. This was the first dragon. However primitive, this dragon was about three feet long, two feet high, with a serpentine body and four legs. It evolved a muzzle, to catch prey, and teeth to tear them apart. This dragon is believed to be colored blue, in order to blend in with the sea.

The First Step is to Get Known!

I was able to share the upcoming website for dragonologists.com when a local reporter interviewed me for our local paper.  Already we are building a membership and a reading base.  I have a new article I received which was quite informational and I look forward to posting it for you all. I have asked official permission as it was sent to me but no permissions were attached.  Our list of artists and writers is growing and I can't wait for launch date. I have seen the website previews and it is quite beautiful.

First Newspaper Article that I didn't write myself!

Coming Soon! Dragonologists.com

Dragonologists.com is launching on August 31st.  We are pre-building our founding members now.  If you know anyone who writes or creates intelligent dragons, please have them email me at dragonsgeas@gmail.com.  I will send them an enrollment form.  Membership is free and the advantage to them will be a listing as a founding member and also free promotions of their work.   I am looking forward to working with each of our enlightened dragonologists as I know Theresa is as well. 

A dragon's view of Vesta!

The Evolution of Dragons as told to Farloft by his Father

 “My father used to tell us stories about the origin of our species.” *cast eyes about over the group now assembled before him* “These are not just stories of my clan, but the history of Dragonology.”

*temples wings up high above head, ruffled them and then brings them down to fold them softly at his sides. Settles into storytelling mode - reclining with paws crossed*

“Many long years ago when rocks were soft and the world bubbled and ran with lava, from that primordial ooze the first dragons arose. They did not look like us. At the time, they were small, wingless creatures that would have fit in my paw.” *extends huge green paw to illustrate their diminutive size*

Enlightened Studies in Dragonology: The Five Important F's.

As an avid student of Dr. Earnest Drake, I have decided to continue his delightful studies with the help of Keensight.  Having been fortunate enough to make friends with two dragons, Farloft and Keensight, as well as increasing slowly my contact with several others, I hope that my findings will be helpful to other dragonologists and writers.  Today I wish to expound on the five F's of dragonology, originally postulated by Dr. Drake.

Habitats of Dragons of Vesta

Please note that this information is only noted from the world of Vesta and is filtered through the perceptions of Keensight.

Dragon habitats are as varied as there are dragons.  Most people just assume that they have a cave and often this is the case.  However, there are definitely some preferences and variations.  Like people, not all dragons want raise their fledglings in the same environments.  Of course, exploration of these habitats are dangerous and therefore most of what we know are from abandoned nests.

Top Ten Dragon Quotes by Brian Rathbone That Make Me Smile!

Top Ten Dragon Quotes by Brian Rathbone That Make Me Smile!
#10: Never put on Sir Mix-A-Lot when a dragon bends down to drink.

 #9:   Good dragons make for good neighbors.

 #8:   I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a dragon today.

 #7:   A single finger emerges from beneath a sitting dragon and tweets: Hi!

 #6:   How to house train your dragon: Step 1 - Lower your expectations.

Declaration of Dragon Sentiments

This is the Declaration of Dragon Sentiments for the newly formed Society of Enlightened Dragonologists. We will soon be opening this up for membership, which of course.. will be free.  No self-respecting dragonologist would take money to advance the knowledge of our craft.