Bound by a
Dragon
By
Linda K. Hopkins
BLURB:
The dragon turned its
head and seemed to look straight at Keira. Pulling her arm out of her sister’s, she drew herself upright and stared straight back, meeting
the golden eye of the dragon before it turned its enormous body in a slow,
fluid motion and lazily flew towards the mountains.
A dragon
has moved into the neighborhood of Keira's small, medieval village, unsettling
the residents as they fear for their safety. All except Keira, who is
fascinated by the creature, both dangerous and beautiful. But when Aaron Drake
decides to take up residence in his ancestral home of Storbrook Castle, set
deep in the nearby mountains, Keira finds herself unsettled by the handsome
stranger. Why did he decide to move to Storbrook, almost eighty years after it
was last inhabited, and does the dragon really live in the caves below the
castle?
EXCERPT
As she watched the mighty beast before her, the dragon bent
its neck into a graceful arch downward, bringing its face closer to Keira’s eye
level, its golden cat-like eyes watching her intently. Keira quelled the desire
to step back, instead keeping her feet firmly planted as she continued to gaze
at the dragon.
“Why did you take me?” she finally asked, shuddering at the
thought of what might have been. She lifted her hand to her cheek, feeling the
sting of scratches scored down her face. A flash of sharp teeth made her draw
in her breath as the dragon replied with a growl.
“I’m sorry Keira,” it said. “I should have been there
sooner. When I think of what that boy was about to do …” The dragon stopped and
pulled in a breath. “I shouldn’t have left him alive!”
Keira trembled at the thought. “But why?” she said. “What
does it matter to you?”
The dragon stared at her for a long moment, until finally it
breathed out a sigh, sending sparks flaring from its nostrils. “Come closer,
Keira,” it said.
Keira hesitated,
wondering what the dragon intended to do with her.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the dragon said.
She looked at the mighty beast before her and suppressed a
shudder. Its claws rested on the ground, razor-sharp and menacing. She could
see its pointed teeth and knew that it could rip her to shreds in an instant,
or burn her to a crisp with one hot breath. One swipe of its massive tail could
send her flying through the air, or leave her broken on the ground. Keira knew
that the dragon could wield mighty power with barely any effort, striking fear
into the hearts of many brave men. But as she looked at the dragon, gazing into
eyes that blazed like the fire it breathed, she felt her fears slowly melt
away.
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Linda K. Hopkins lives in Calgary, Canada, with
her husband and two great kids. When she's not writing, she's usually reading
(a great pastime when you are trapped in a snowbound landscape eight months of
the year!), tinkering on the piano or just living life!
Interview:
Where are you from?
I was born in South Africa, and grew up in
Johannesburg. I spent three years in England in my twenties before moving to
Calgary, Canada, where I now live.
Tell us your latest news?
I have just returned from a three week trip to
England where I spent hours soaking in the history and admiring the incredible
cathedrals built during the medieval period, the time period of Bound by a
Dragon.
When and why did you begin writing?
I have always had the writer in me, even
though Bound by a Dragon is my first published novel. I really started writing
for my own personal amusement - I enjoyed the stories that I had spinning
through my mind, and wanted to be able to remember them later.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I held my first completed manuscript in
my hands.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first story was the result of 'what if'
questions that kept running through my mind. Whenever I read a novel, I find
that my mind starts down tracks of 'what if this was changed', or 'what if this
was different', until eventually I have a completely new story!
What would you like my readers to know?
Bound by a Dragon is the first of a series of
dragon books that I am writing. I aim to have the next book out early 2015, as
well as a short story about Favian and Cathryn.
Website
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Amazon
Nook
Kobo
The author will give away a $25 Amazon gift certificate via Rafflecopter.
The Dragon is the best.
ReplyDeleteThanks - I like him too!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover of your book, and the excerpt sounds great, I so love dragons!!! thank you for the giveaway too,
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt. Has me eager to read.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to find out why the dragon didn't want to let her get hurt. Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt and beautiful cover
ReplyDeleteI like the excerpt
ReplyDeleteI love the excerpt and the cover... the cover is great and anything with dragons always gets me. thank you for the giveaway
ReplyDelete