Hi All,
 
I had a great book-signing tour in the Lower Mainland over the long weekend just past (June 28-30). I met many great people and had a lot of fun. I discovered I have a new fan, too. He’s not yet a fan of my books (too young to read them yet), but he surely seems to be a fan of dragons and dragon treasure. And I’m now a big fan of his! His name is Maximus.
 
Here’s how it happened: During a book-signing at Indigo (bookstore) in the Metrotown Mall, Burnaby, BC, a young boy came to look at some of the dragons, crystals and other items on my signing table. After a little while, he left with his favorite of my bookmarks. Now, at signings, I often give visiting kids a handful of the jewels and gems I use to decorate my display: their own special dragon treasures to take home. I didn't have the opportunity to do this for Maximus, because his family was in a bit of a hurry.
 
Several minutes after he left, Maximus returned to my table and showed me a handful of colorful beads he had found on the floor. He wanted me to display them on my table with the rest of the treasures!
 
In more than 250 book-signings, over the last 1½ years, this is the first time anyone has brought me anything to display on my table. The flow has always been the other way: people happily take things away. That’s completely fine—the things on my table are meant to be given away. This was just a pleasant new experience.
 
I love my little Maximus treasures, and I’ll proudly display them, front and center, at all my book-signings in the years to come.
 
Thank you, Maximus, for your thoughtfulness and generosity. I know you will grow up to be a remarkable young man, and I would be honored if you would visit me again at a future signing event. You should know that I also plan to name a planet after you, in one of my future books; it will be called Maximus IV. Your name (as you might already know) comes from the Latin language, where it means “greatest.” I would say you are already living up to that name!
 
It was a pleasure to meet you, Maximus.
 
I wish you nothing but a wonderful future.
 
Lorna

Hi All,
YIPPY!!! The long-awaited second book in the Dragon of Nibiru series is finally at the printers. WOOT! Dragons of Earth will be available soon.

Sorry for not keeping my blog up to date, but day-to-day life has been getting in the way lately. I’ll have to learn a spell to keep that from happening in the future. I also apologize for not getting Dragons of Earth out to you sooner. I hope when you read it, you enjoy it enough to forgive me for the delay! I promise you that the third book, Dragons of Remini, will be out in a much timelier fashion, as will the rest of the series.

I hope all is well in the worlds of Dragon lovers. Some of you may be wondering what happened to the Name the Wand contest, and its dragon statue prize (see dragon statues below). I’ve extended the contest, so you still have time to send in more names. The winner will be announced July 31.

Here's the winner's wand, awaiting its name:

How do you enter? Just name the wand shown above, which is to soon appear in the series. You can even suggest whose wand it should be, and why. Email your entry to me: lorna@lornajcarleton.com.

Here are those dragon statues. The contest winner will have the choice of one of these:

Many of you have also let me know you would love to be able to win a wand. That sounds like a great idea, but would you help me out with it? Just do this: Send me an email, suggesting what the contest should be - that is, what people should do to enter. I'll consider all your suggestions, and announce the contest rules in a future blog post and on Facebook. (I hope you're following us on Facebook! If you aren't yet, come check out our page, like us, and get on board as a follower!) Just email your contest suggestions to: lorna@lornajcarleton.com. I will send a surprise gift to the person who suggests the idea I use. Good luck!!

I have been doing regular book-signings in 2019, but took June off to get Dragons of Earth finalized, and Dragons of Remini ready to go to the editor. I will be doing some signings in July and then almost the entire month of August I will be on tour in my new Dragonmobile. Just in case you haven’t seen the Dragonmobile, here’s a photo:

As I have mentioned to many of you, I would love it if you would send drawings for possible inclusion in the third and fourth books in the Dragons of Nibiru series. I have already received some terrific drawings, and a few are already slated for purchase and inclusion. Anyone, of any age, is more than welcome to send drawings that relate to the stories in some way. Down below, you can see a couple of lovely dragon drawings from ten-year-old Jordyn of Red Deer.

And here is a lovely water dragon from nine-year-old Katrin of Prince George, BC:

The drawings Team Nibiru chooses will appear in one of the upcoming books, along with the artist’s name—and their school’s name, if they’re a student. Happy drawing!!

Well, it’s time for me to get back to preparing Dragons of Remini for the editor. Have an awesome day!

Lorna
 

Hi Dragons of Nibiru fans,

I imagine many of you are excited about the holiday season. I hope it’s your best yet!
Remember when I mentioned I would be seeking illustrations from readers of all ages, for the third and fourth books in my series? Well, the time has arrived; I need those illustrations!

How to Submit an Illustration
The best way to send me your illustrations is by email. Just scan them or take a photo of them and email them to me: lorna@lornajcarleton.com.

What I’m Looking For
I’m most interested in images of characters from the stories, of course. A character or characters in action, or in an interesting location or scene, or a portrait of your favorite character. (Or the one you dislike the most; there are plenty of bad guys to choose from!) 

From among the images you submit, I’ll choose: 

1. Ones that I feel best suit the stories
2. Ones that inspire me in some fashion - make me want to sing, dance, write another book, or even just smile
3. Ones that I just plain love, and want to share with all my readers 😊

Of course, if I know me (and we are rather well acquainted, me and I), many, many of the works you submit will fit under one or more of those categories; especially number 3. That means I have a tough job ahead, because there has to be room in the books for a little text, too. You know how it is with stories.

Here are a few more categories I’ll be looking at. I’d like to feature at least one of each:  

1. Drawings or paintings by young people, up to age 12
2. Drawings or paintings by slightly older people, between 12 and 25
3. Drawings or paintings by people 25 and up.
4. Child-and-parent or child-and-grandparent collaborations.
5. Sibling collaborations.

Along with scans or photos of the illustrations themselves, I’d be delighted to see photos of the artist(s) holding their work. I’d like to post such photos on my blog, if you’ll grant me permission to do so. 😊
Once I’ve chosen the illustrations I’d like to include in the books, I’ll contact the artist(s) to arrange to purchase their work.

So, please: fire up your creativity and give me a hand – and give readers of books 3 and 4 a treat.
Happy drawing!!

Lorna

Thank you everyone, for the many great names you sent in for the Name Mia’s Baby Contest! I loved receiving your entries and hearing how much you're enjoying the adventures of Celine and her friends.

It was very difficult to choose a final winning name – so we didn’t choose one.

We chose three!

That’s right – we have three winners!!

That's because Mia will be having twins.

But now you’re thinking, “Wait a second, Lorna! Don’t you mean triplets?”

No, just twins. :) The third winning name goes to a dragon you’ll meet in the third book in the series, Dragons of Remini, to be released this coming year.

Here’s a bit more good news: If you didn’t win this time, please don’t give up. There are more contests to come! And the prize in at least one of them will be another wand!

Now there you are, reading patiently, and I’ve kept you waiting for winning entries. Okay! Back to that.

Mia’s twins will be a girl and boy. Their names, as chosen by Team Nibiru (and with Mia’s approval, of course) will be: 

                             Kai – submitted by Kai Brozuk from Victoria, British Columbia
                                                                        and
                         Rita – submitted by Maureen Sullivan from Apache Junction, Arizona.

The surprise third winner is:

                        Fallon - submitted by Fallon Martens from Penticton, British Columbia.

The winning names were chosen based on meaning and on sound – integral elements in writing The Dragons of Nibiru.  

Kai – pronounced “Kye” – means “warrior” in Frisian and “victory” in Chinese.
 
Rita means “pearl” in Italian; in Persian it means “child of light.”
 
Fallon means “leader” in Irish.
 
Congratulations, winners! I hope you love your new wands. Use them well!
 
And thanks again to everyone who entered. As I mentioned, there are more contests on the way. The first one, coming up this spring, is “Name Celine's Wand.” The prize will be a large dragon sculpture, similar to the one in the image below.

I really look forward to your suggestions, and wish every one of you the best of luck!!
Lorna

1. Dragons of Earth will be available for purchase in a store near you Feb 1, 2019.
2. Dragons of Remini is scheduled for release May 1, 2019.

In the photo above, Maureen’s wand is on top; Kai's is on the bottom.
Here's another view, with Kai's wand on the top this time:

Here are the winners, with their new wands:

That's Fallon's new wand above. And just below you can see Fallon herself!

Hi!

I wanted to send a big thanks to all of you who have sent in name suggestions to the Name Mia’s Baby contest we’ve got going here at Team Nibiru. We’ve received so many great names, I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to choose the best. What a tough decision it’s going to be!

Contest Deadline
The latest contest news is important: we’ve set a deadline! That’s right. The deadline for sending us your name for Mia’s first-born baby is Saturday, December 15, 2018. That’s December 15 at noon, Pacific Standard Time. So, there’s still time to send your suggestions, for a chance to win the prize!

“Prize? What prize?! I didn't know there was going to be a prize!” you might be saying.

Well, of course there’s a prize. You can’t have a proper contest without a prize! And the prize in this contest is…a wand! A wand similar to the beauty shown below.

The winning name will be the one we at Team Nibiru feel best suits the characters involved. The most important of those characters are the parents – Mia and her husband, Hyatt – and of course the baby, too! The way the name fits in with the story will be a factor, too.

Some of you have asked me whether the new baby will be a boy or a girl. Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and see. At this point, we all have to wait and see – because I haven’t completely settled on an answer to that question. So, the name you choose could be a boy’s name, or it could be a girl’s. And, if you like, you're also welcome to suggest the baby's gender, too, along with why you think it should be a boy or a girl.

Of course, since we’re talking about a baby and family who belong to a society on an alien planet, light-years away from our own, the name you choose could be one that none of us Earthlings would particularly identify with any gender. So, in truth, your choices are as wide open as the galaxy!

Remember, when you send in your name suggestions, we’d love it if you’d tell us the reasons behind your choice or choices. You don’t have to, though. After all, sometimes a name is just right because it’s right!

Winner Notification and Prize Presentation
Once the contest is over and the judges have reached their decision, we’ll notify the winner by email. Then the prize will be delivered by courier, right to their door. And if YOU are the winner, we surely hope you’ll send us a picture of yourself with your new wand. (Special wand-wielding attire is optional.)

We’ll also post a story about the winner and the winning name on our blog – along with photos, if the winner is willing. 😊

Powers
There’s just one more important thing I should mention about the contest prize. Beautiful though it will be, we can’t say for certain what magical powers the Winner’s Wand may have. That will be for the happy winner to discover! 🐲

Happy naming, everyone! And good luck to you!

All the best – and adventurously yours,

Lorna

​
​Hi everyone!
I made it home safe and sound. Yippee!!

My marathon book tour across Canada, from Vancouver Island in the west to Laval, Quebec in the east, came to an end this past Sunday, August 5. I’m so happy to be home – but boy, what a blast I had!
​
Since January 4, I’ve completed 133 book-signings, one library reading and three school workshops. Wow! No wonder it feels like I’ve worked hard. My car (Olive, the Dragonmobile) worked hard, too. The proof is in her mileage, with 58,000 kms added to her tally. So she’s due for a rest, too. As well as one heck of a good cleaning, inside and out. The last time she was thoroughly cleaned was when my cousin Jim Beaton in Victoria washed her, back in early May! Hey, Jim – are you by any chance coming up this way in the near future? (Hint, hint...)

Many Milestones...
Of the tour’s many memorable book-signings, a few featured major milestones. First, there was selling the 1000th copy of The Dragons of Nibiru, at the Coles bookstore in Kildonan Place Mall in Regina, Saskatchewan. Then there was number 2,000, at the Coles store in Midtown Mall, Saskatoon, and number 3,000 at the Coles in the Timmins Square Mall, Timmins, Ontario.

It was also at the Timmins Coles that I set a personal record for most books sold at one signing: 48!! The previous record was 44 books, set two days earlier in Lindsay, Ontario, so those two fine communities now have a special spot in my heart. Canada’s wonderful Celine Dion is also from Timmins, so I’d say it’s quite fitting that the heroine of my stories – also a Celine – reached such special milestones there.
​
Here’s an interesting bit of info I ran across on Google: in the U.S., the average new book sells only 250 copies in its first year, and 3,000 books in its entire lifespan. So, with The Dragons of Nibiru selling nearly 3,000 copies before its first birthday, July 13, I’d say Team Nibiru is off to a fabulous start. One amazing year behind us, and many more to come.

Gratitude
​That reminds me that I need to thank all of you who so generously put me up for a night during the tour. You saved me the stress of another night in a strange hotel, far from home. In most cases, I’d never met you before the tour. And I was surprised to meet distant relatives I hadn’t even known I had. So, big thanks to Devon Eggers, Jim and Mona Beaton, Wilda Thumm, Vance and Kim Eggers, Lauren and Gerry Mitchell, Alex Thumm, Ian and Ruth Cartwright, Betty and Peter Cartwright, Pam Graf and Jeanette Chappell. Your hospitality was greatly appreciated.
​
My biggest thanks go to my son Devon Eggers for his endless love, support and hospitality. Special thanks also go to cousin Wilda Thumm, who really made this trip possible. She and Marshmallow welcomed me into their home during much of my time in Ontario. I miss our Netflix nights, Wilda!

​Oh, and I mustn’t forget to thank Maureen Sullivan for the many artifacts she provided, for embellishing my book-signing display table. They were a huge success, Maureen. Thanks!
​
Many of the great joys on this trip involved meeting and interacting with fans and their families. It warmed my heart to learn how many of you make family reading time a regular activity. I was so honored that you chose my book for your special times together!

The Book Fairies
Another exciting moment took place in Regina, Saskatchewan, when I met Jennifer Khampadith. She is an official representative for an amazing group: The Book Fairies of Saskatchewan. The Book Fairies is a worldwide organization devoted to sharing books. Every day, members (Fairies!) leave individual copies of books out in public places – high-traffic areas where people will find them, pick them up and take them along to read.
​
Aside from spreading the joy of good reading directly, the Fairies’ idea is that once a book-finder has read it, he or she will pass the book on to others, so the joy-spreading goes on and on. What a wonderful idea, eh? The Fairies include a card in each book they place, to let the finder know how the book appeared there, and encouraging them to enjoy it and pass it on.

 Film star Emma Watson helped launch the Book Fairies movement on International Women's Day in March 2017, when she and many others placed books all around the world. In June of 2017, Emma and the Fairies were at it again. This time they were in Paris, where they hid 100 signed copies of author Margaret Atwood’s phenomenal bestseller, The Handmaid's Tale. In September of 2017, and a bit closer to home, the Canadian Book Fairies placed more than 70 copies of another Margaret Atwood novel, Alias Grace — along with a small handwritten note from Margaret Atwood herself, promoting the premier of the CBC miniseries based on the book.
 
The Book Fairies movement encourages people to read, and helps our libraries, bookshops and writers to flourish. I was delighted and amazed to learn about the Fairies and their mission. So you can imagine my excitement when they asked if they could place copies of The Dragons of Nibiru all across Canada! Their founder and leader also wants to place the book in the UK, and do shout-out about it on their local accounts, and Canadian and Worldwide social media channels — Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Very exciting indeed!!
 
Team Nibiru has now donated and delivered 55 copies to the Fairies’ campaign. As soon as they set a launch date, I’ll be sure to post it on my website and social media. The Fairies will announce it on their website, too:  www.ibelieveinbookfairies.com.  But don’t wait! I encourage you to visit that site right away, and learn more about who they are, and the magic they’re working around the world.

Coming Soon... 
I should also mention that during my travels I was deeply touched to learn how many people have read and loved The Dragons of Nibiru. Many of you took time to send emails and social media posts to let us know how much you’ve enjoyed it, and how eager you are to read the rest of the series. Book two, Dragons of Earth, is now scheduled for release in the early autumn; when an exact date is set, I’ll be sure to announce it far and wide. So, stay tuned – the wait is almost over!
​
End of The Tour
I was thrilled to end my tour with a book-signing in Nelson, British Columbia, where I also managed to squeeze in attending my 40th high school reunion. It was great to reconnect with old friends, and to meet and befriend many of their spouses. One of my classmates, Jay Gould, has also become a novelist. And just by coincidence, one of his exciting tales of espionage includes “Dragon” in its title. I’ve gotten my hands on copies of his first two books, and begun reading The Golden Dragon. Great reading so far!

The Dragons of Nibiru is one year old today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

On Thursday, July 13, 2017, I drove to the printer in Kelowna, British Columbia to pick up the first printed copies of The Dragons of Nibiru. What a fantastic feeling to hold one’s own book! Truly indescribable. It’s hard to believe a year has passed since that historic day; so many wonderful things have happened.

The next morning, my car loaded up with books, I headed to Maple Ridge to visit one of my sons for a few days, before crossing the border into the U.S. The two main items on my itinerary were visiting with my dear friend Tamara in San Diego, then moving on to Phoenix to meet my editor, Russ Williams, and his lovely wife Sandy. It would be my first in-person meeting with Russ. Actually, it would also be the first time I’d hear his voice! We had created the entire book via email communication. A great feat, if you ask me.

Russ, Sandy and I hit it off right away, and had a great visit. We celebrated the occasion with a couple of dinners and even a “dragon sundae” (complete with mini dragon figure!) created for us by the people at Churn, a great little Phoenix ice cream parlor. Our visit was too, too short; I’m hoping to get down there to see them again soon. I met many others on the trip, too – all of them excited for the success of our book.
Book-signing events have been a huge part of the year since the book’s birthday. I’ve done 125 signing events (115 just since January!) all across Canada, from BC to Quebec. And I’m still going strong, with many more events on the calendar. I’ve also done a handful of media interviews along the way, including a couple of radio shows and a five-minute TV news segment.

Overall, I have to say I’m having a blast, and am excited about where our books will take us. The second book in the series, Dragons of Earth, is nearing completion, and I am geared up to begin promoting it right alongside the first one. Writing these books is the most fun I’ve ever had. Touring gets a bit grueling at times, but I’ve enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people. I’ve had complete strangers give me hugs or buy me tea to help me through those long book-signing days. We do live in a great country!

There have been several printings of the first edition, but only a few copies remain. One of the printings was done in a slightly larger size than the rest; there are about 400 copies of that one still available. If you’d like one, send me an email! The second edition (minus a few typos and tiny goofs missed in the first edition) is now available, too – along with e-book versions! Two editions, several printings and e-books all in just a year is quite an accomplishment – a great deal of work goes into creating each version. Thanks to Russ and Danielle for all their work to make this possible.

There was one unfortunate bump along the way. I was stuck with 2,000 misprinted copies of the first edition! The text is completely okay, but the page layout was mis-printed so it looks a bit strange. It can’t be sold in stores, but a few of you have copies – and each of you will be receiving a special prize when the last of them are eventually sold. On a potentially happier note, someone pointed out that misprinted versions can be valuable collector’s items if the author becomes famous. I do plan to become famous 😊, so if you’ve got one of those “special” copies, hang onto it! My new printer, Premier Printing in Winnipeg, is doing very professional work for me. Thanks, guys!

Hi All,
 
I made it home safe and sound after a grand driving adventure across most of Canada. Wow! What a trip, in more ways than one.
 
There were some real challenges, to be sure.
 
Like the sub-freezing weather making some of my artifacts (wands and crystals and sculptures and such) more fragile than ever – with a few tragic consequences. When I do book-signings, I display these intriguing items on my table. Kids are particularly fascinated with Celine’s magical wand!
 
And then there was my car – the Dragonmobile – being too darn small (wonderful though it is) to hold everything I wanted to bring along.
 
Next, there was the army of snow storms that assaulted me along the way. Nothing the Dragonmobile and I couldn’t handle, but wow!
 
Then there was all the salt the highway safety people scattered on the province roads and highways. Sure, it’s a huge help in navigating the icy surfaces, but awfully hard on a vehicle, no matter how tough or magical. Did they really need to use so much?? It wouldn’t be quite so bad if the salty stuff would fill in some of the gazillion potholes out there. (Arizona has the Grand Canyon, but Canada isn’t far behind with some of those monsters!)
 
Even navigation was no easy feat. A GPS is great, but when it doesn’t include all the new road changes, a person can get waaaay off-track, let me tell you!
 
Overall, though, it was a fabulous trip and a great adventure.
 
Milestone! 
I must share a major milestone achieved on this trip: selling the 1000th copy of The Dragons of Nibiru!  
 
That’s right. I sold the big number 1000 at the Coles bookstore in Kildonan Place Mall, in beautiful (but so snowy!) Winnipeg. I was thrilled to share the momentous moment with Jordan, the store’s manager.
 
That achievement alone made the trip worthwhile – but even better is knowing that I’ve reached – and hopefully entertained and inspired – a thousand people. And that doesn’t even count the people they’ll share their copies with!
 
So Many Friends, New and Old   
I was only home four days before I was back at it with new book-signings. One was in Salmon Arm at Bookingham Palace. While there, I ran into Darlene Webb – an old friend from elementary school who I hadn’t seen in 45 years! It was great to visit with her, and once again become fast friends.
 
The next signing was at the Chapters store in Kelowna. It was there I met Bob Beaton and his wonderful family. It turned out Bob is a second cousin – one I’d never met before and didn’t even know I had. It was soooooo great meeting him, and his family too. I’m looking forward to many more visits with them. And oh – thanks for treating me to that great Chinese buffet, Bob and Tracy!! 
 
There’s one more new friend I should mention: Endrea, who’s working on obtaining her master’s degree in journalism at the Saskatchewan’s University of Regina. Endrea interviewed me about becoming a self-published author, and my book-signing adventures across Canada. You can read the article she wrote right here.
 
Mind you, I’ve met so many wonderful people at these signings – I wish could find the time and space to mention them all. What really amazes me is how many fine, fine people there are to meet and befriend, no matter how crazy the world gets! Animals, too – like Kiki the rescue dog from Cuba, now living at the Ambassador Motel in Sault St. Marie. I swear she’s more human than dog!
 
I look forward to meeting up with many of my new friends again, on my next journey across our great country.
 
Thanks too, to everyone who has reached out to email me, and those who’ve blessed my days with their kind words, smiling faces, encouragement and support. I could never have sold that 1000th book in such a brief time without you. Thanks so much every one of you. Love you all.
 
Now it’s time to get back to reaching for my next target: becoming the Canadian J.K. Rowling!!!
 
 
All the best,
Lorna
 

Hi All,
 
The holiday season is here, so my book-signing events have wound down for the year. I’ve still been busier than ever, though, putting final touches on my cross-Canada tour that starts on January 4. It’s amazing the logistics you have to put in place to do something like this!
 
On the lighter side, I’ve already got my ice skates set out near the front door, so I don’t forget them. When I get to Ottawa, I’m planning to skate on their Rideau Canal Skateway. I am sooooo excited!!! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do – but I never imagined I actually would. I’ll definitely post some photos of me enjoying this big bucket-list event. 😊 If any of you live in the area and want to join in, please let me know!
 
My last four book-signing events have been successful. One was at Chapters in Kelowna, on November 11; then there was Books & Company in Prince George on the following Saturday, and the final event for the year, in Nelson. All the events were fun, and I met many nice people.
 
Two schools in Nelson purchased my book: L.V. Rogers Secondary and Trafalgar Middle School. Both asked me to come back in March. They want me to do readings for them, and also for schools in some nearby towns. My book is going to be used to bring the librarians and students closer together; I’m very proud of that.
 
I really look forward to readings in schools. Truly, the best part of this entire book-publishing process is seeing how my book inspires young people. One nine-year old, Katrin – who happens to be the youngest of my readers, as far as I know – was so inspired by Celine and her friends’ adventures that she created two lovely sculptures and a some nice drawings. You can see them below.
 
Thanks so much, Katrin, for sending photos of your beautiful artwork. It put a huge smile on my face! I love the colorful dragons; they even inspired me to put more colour into my stories.
 
I encourage other readers to share any inspirations reading The Dragons of Nibiru has given them.  Also, I will be inviting students to do some of the artwork for a future book in the series. It’s not too early to start submitting pictures for possible publication! 😊
 
I hear Katrin is eager to read the series’ second book: The Dragons of Earth. In fact, a number of fans have asked me to please hurry and get it out to them. It’s in the works! You all should see it early in the new year.  
 
​I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.
 
Best regards,
 Lorna
​

​Hi All,
 
The other day, a friend mentioned that one thing he admired about The Dragons of Nibiru was all the research I’d done in order to write it. He thought others might be interested to hear about that – so here’s the story!
 
As some of you know, I didn’t start out to write a story about dragons. I was just minding my own business, writing a spaceships-and-aliens sci-fi tale. Dragon-free. But somehow, a dragon managed to force her way onto a page. I tried to continue with my story, but Fianna, last princess of a dying race of noble dragons, had other ideas.
 
In the end, Fianna won the battle. Obviously – just look at the book’s title! Now there’s no going back: dragons play integral roles in the story and series, with Book Two at the editor and Book Three in progress. There are many, many things Fianna wants us humans to know about her race, particularly the dragon-folk of her home world, Nibiru.
 
At first, Fianna’s victory in that battle caused me quite a bit of anxiety. It meant I’d have to re-write huge chunks of the original story. And hells, at that point I didn’t even know where the tale was heading anymore! Most of my worry stemmed from the fact that I knew so little about dragons, though. Now one of the creatures had railroaded my writing, and I was not a happy camper! But once I got to know Fianna and her clan, I was more than happy to tell their story, and with gusto. I dug into some dragon research, and although I'm still a neophyte when it comes to dragonology, I learned a lot. I’m eager to learn even more about these fascinating creatures, too.
 
Now that they were such a crucial element in the story, I had to research not just dragons, but their planet, too – Planet X, also commonly known as Nibiru, among Earthlings who are into such things. That lead to learning more about the rest of the planets in our system, too. Things like their orbital cycles, weather patterns (if any!) and so on.
 
Since a large part of the story takes place on Earth, I also had to do some study about our own planet, too. Was I ever surprised at some of our home world’s strange and wonderful features (natural and otherwise). Things I’d never heard of, like the underground tunnels between Turkey and Scotland, and the ancient cities along their routes. Underground cities, that is! Most are located beneath the country we now call Turkey. One of them is eighteen stories deep, and had more than 20,000 inhabitants at one time, living in a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers. That’s just a sampling of what you can discover in the fascinating articles at the library and on the web, many with photo documentation.
 
Another unfamiliar area was spacecraft, so I spent a fair bit of time studying both hard knowledge and informed speculation on the subject. That included people’s ideas about alien ships they believe to have visited our planet – and the beings who piloted them. There are many who say that several major races of aliens have visited Earth, including those known (here on Earth, at least) as Greys, Reptilians and Arcturians. I’ve tried to do the ideas and beliefs about these races justice in my stories.
 
The same goes for witchcraft and magic. I researched spells, magical chants and other aspects of magic, to lend authenticity to the chants, poems and other magical elements of the book. I was very pleased and proud to have a practicing witch tell me that those parts of the story sound as if they were written by a witch! Well, perhaps – like Celine – I am a secret witch.
 
There were quite a few other subjects I dug into during the writing process. For example, I learned about human (Earthling!) blood types and the “Rh factor,” including some of their history. Did you know that there was a time when all Earth humans had Type O blood? Today we can also have Type A, Type B or Type AB. Interesting indeed. What happened there? I wove my speculations about how that might have occurred into the story. The Rh factor fascinated me, too. According to some researchers, all humans had “Rh positive” blood until about 15,000 years ago. What? That sounds odd and mysterious, doesn’t it? So that’s something else for me to learn more about, and perhaps work into the story as it evolves. Stay tuned…!
 
Well, it’s late and I’m getting a bit tired, so I’ll end off for now. If you’re interested in hearing more, though, let me know! Send me an email, or better yet, tell me in the comments, below. If you like what you’ve read here, I’ll be happy to share more about my research adventures. Oh, and feel free to ask about anything else you’d like to hear about, research-wise or otherwise!
 
Lorna