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DRAGON MOON RISING REVIEW, June 9, 2007

By  WENDY BANDURSKI-MILLER (SEMPRONIUS NEW YORK)

 

Dragon Moon Rising ("Derkesthai")

 

I read Daniel O'Connor's `Dragon Moon Rising' with some interest as it is about Dragons... of which I am fully conversant with being admittedly already a dragon fan. The story takes the readers interest immediately with the mystery of why Lessian .... ....wakes up old and stiff...so I became highly engaged from the very first page....wanting to know more about who Lessiam was and why he was feeling so `..weak and old, as if near death...' I was hooked.

 

As the tale unfolds I became even deeper engaged when it was revealed in the first chapter that the tale was being told from the perspective of dragon kind! This really sets the scene for a whole new Dragon mythology with immense appeal... As an elementary teacher I know the significance of discovering a story that can create in the imagination a world to escape to, a True flight of Fancy.......that enables a reader to develop a love of books, a love of writing and most importantly a love of reading for PLEASURE.. That is exactly what Dragon's Moon Rising does.

 

The illustrations by Linda Nelson compliment the tale in a most significant way....... The images add to the ` other-world-ness' of a true fantasy novel and gives the imagination of the reader room to move....... yet without filling in every last detail......perfect. Cameos of additional meaning.

 

It was simply a delightful reading experience Daniel O'Connor's wordsmithing is evidenced by a certain contemporariness. ...... I personally could not put it down and read it from cover to cover...... a tale destined to become a young reader favorite... with just the right amount of darkness and unknown enemies.......with layers of other mysteries, histories and dramas hinted at....... I can't wait for the second book...... to discover what happens next!

 

Wendy Bandurski Miller

 

Sempronius New York

 

 

DRAGON MOON RISING REVIEW, July 2, 2007

 

READER, KAREN GODIN, WRITES: 

 

"I was hooked within moments... the natural, and very human interchange between Lessiam and Jos was appealing. The sense of mystery, danger and impending threat drew me even further in.

 

Daniel O'Connor's easy style of writing and vivid descriptions enable the reader to get lost within the fantasy of another world and time, while staying anchored within the very real emotions & challenges we face in our daily lives...whether a child or adult!

 

Linda Carol Nelson's ability to capture the nuances of the story in her ethereal drawings, adds to the sense of otherworldliness, while inhancing the pictures already drawn within our minds.

 

What a delight! I look forward to many more adventures with these marvelous characters..."
Date:  03/05/07  //  Dragon Moon Rising is now available online at www.abebooks.com.
Date:  02/26/07  //  Dragon Moon Rising prints are now available in our store.
Date:  02/25/07  //  Dragon Moon Rising is now available online at www.target.com.

Date: 02/22/07  //  Dragon Moon Rising is now available online at www.amazon.com and www.borders.com.
Date:  02/20/07  //  Dragon Moon Rising is now available online at www.alibris.com and www.abebooks.com.

Date:  02/15/07  //  Our new website has been launched!

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Here are some questions a young reader sent me last night. I thought they were cool questions, so here they are, with my answers.

 

Why did you put blank pages between each chapter???...

 

This was the editor's choice. I like it as it separates the chapters well.


What encouraged you to write???...

Hmmm. I don't know. It was creative, and fun. It was like making my own world for others to share. I loved that. I'll have to think more on this one.

What did you do to make up the names of the characters???...

I thought: “What would be a good name, one that sounds heroic, that makes me think of a dragon? Lessivius? No. Levisum? No. Lessiam? Yes!!!!” And then I'd use that name. Or I'd think, “What name would best represent a big, ugly, black, evil beast of a dragon?” And then something like "Falkaw" would come to mind, and I'd use it.

How did you make the books so interesting?!

 

Well thanks. I think of things that interest me. If it's interesting to me, I've found it's usually interesting to others. I also read a lot, play games, watch movies, etc. And I know what I find boring and what I find interesting. So that helps. It is really hard to write something that is boring to write, read, etc. Another thing I do is I read back a part of the book from another’s viewpoint. Like I pretend I'm a 10-year-old boy reading the book. And if it interests me from that viewpoint, I stick to it. I’ll vary the viewpoint too, like now I’m a 14-year-old girl. And I can see if she would like it. By the way, I have been surprised by how many girls come up and tell me about how they like the book, or like the dragons in it. I kinda thought I was writing mostly for boys. But I’ve been proven wrong.

 

How did you make up the name, Dragon Moon Rising?

When the moon cycle comes to an end in the series of books, a major thing will happen. The book is a sort of a countdown related to the moon's cycle. In the first book, the moon is rising.