The Dragons Are Coming

It's easy to forget how much there is to be thankful for. A few years ago, if you had told me I'd be getting to spend so much of my time writing stories, I would not have believed you. But here it is, true as anything. And, after a rough year that has been full of changes and transitions, I'm more grateful than ever for the flexibility a life spent writing stories gives me to spend time with my family. I know that not everyone has that when they want it--that it's special--so I try to savor it every time, including this week. My children have been off school the past few days, and we've spent a lot of out time together on dragons. The little one and I have discovered a fantasy role-play game filled with imagination and dragons, and the Bigger J and I have been working on making dragons of our own. She got so into it, in fact, that she (finally!) asked me to teach her to use the sewing machine. Here she is with Diablo, the felt dragon she stitched by hand, on her head. He's been sitting there most of the day for several days now, and I'm pretty proud of her work, especially since this is her first completed project.

And here is the little clutch of dragons we made on the machine once we got the pattern right.

My sewing skills are costume level at best, so I'm pretty proud of these, too, but not as proud as I am to tell you that, after some technical delays, The Dragon Keep will debut in 2019. Hooray! :-) Be on the lookout for more dragons in the sky and at a bookstore near you. There's a peek at Stephanie Parcus working on the cover art below.