Meet the Dragon Lady: Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

As an avid reader, it’s exciting to me when I discover a new author whose books I absolutely loved. That’s what happened not long ago when I read Dragon Flight and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow both by Utah author Jessica Day George. I had the opportunity to interview Jessica several weeks ago, but because I was a judge in her category for the Whitney Awards I had to wait to even read what I learned about her from the online interview. Since then, Jessica has released a new book in the Dragon series, Dragon Spear, and a retold fairy tale, Princess of the Midnight Ball, both books I’m excited to read.

I met Jessica at the Whitney Award Gala and I discovered, she’s not really a dragon lady, but she loves to write about them. Dragon Slippers was the first children's book she had ever written, and it ended up being the first book she had published. “My first six books are still languishing on my hard drive!” she says.

She says her publication story is a matter of being in the “right place at the right time. I went to BYU's Writing For Young Readers Conference, and during the Saturday morning pitch session I just happened to sit next to a girl who was setting up a small, by invitation only, workshop with Melanie Cecka of Bloomsbury as the guest of honor. I got to spend fifteen minutes talking to Melanie one-on-one, and she loved not only Dragon Slippers, but other ideas I threw at her as well.”

About her newest book, Dragon Spear, she says, it “will be the last adventure with Creel and Shardas, but I will definitely be going back to Feravel some day.”

Although Dragon Slippers, and the resulting series which included Dragon Flight, got her career off the ground, it’s her Norse folktale that makes her stand out from the crowd, ending up as a Whitney finalist in both Youth Fiction and for Novel of the Year. A longtime fan of Norse folk tales, regarding another book along those lines in the future, Jessica says, “I'm toying with several ideas, actually. I love writing about Norway! I might do a historical fiction with Vikings, I might take on another folk tale. We shall see. . . .”

Since I spend most of my time with seventh grade students, a perfect audience for her books, I asked Jessica why readers should pick up one of her books to read. “Because I try to write books that I would enjoy reading,” she says. “I like to have lots of humor, but also lots of fun characters and some good action thrown in as well.”

An avid reader herself as a teen, Jessica says her favorite books were “ANYTHING by Robin McKinley! With Diana Wynne Jones as a close second!” She has continued to write for this audience herself because “the ideas just kept coming! I've always been a huge fan of YA fantasy, and after writing six adult books, I suddenly (or should I say: finally) started getting idea after idea for YA and middle grade books.”

For those who might want to become writers themselves, Jessica says, “Never give up, never surrender! Just keep writing, and keep looking for opportunities to meet with editors, and it will happen.” But even once you’ve sold your book, the job of writing isn’t over. “No matter how much she says she loves your book,” Jessica adds, “your editor will find bajillions of things that need ‘work.’ Don't give up, and don't hyperventilate, just do it.”

Good advice for us all, but if you’ll excuse me now, I have two brand new books from one of my new favorite authors waiting for me on my bookshelf.

The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters - James Dashner

Looking for a new fantasy series that will make you laugh, while taking you places you never knew were possible? Then The 13th Reality series will be the books for you. Atticus Higginbottom —Tick—just can't get past being a nerd. Of course, wearing a knitted scarf to cover a birthmark doesn't help his image either. But once the mysterious letters from M.G. begin to arrive, Tick's skills at deciphering riddles and Internet research come in handy. Being friends with his dad doesn't hurt either, especially when they travel together to Alaska—a dangerous trip for them both. Despite the fact Tick can't quite figure out the required magic words, he will not burn his letter and quit. Soon he is attacked by evil creatures, meets Mothball and Rutger, and finds two other kids also solving the clues. The question is—will they all figure out everything in time?

Fantasy or not, Dashner has set his book in reality, researching both quantum physics and locations for this first book in the series. “I had never been to the place in which it begins, Deer Park, Washington,” he says. Perhaps influenced by his own favorite series, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson, Dashner allows himself, and his main character, to delve into the alternate worlds that Thomas Covenant dared not believe in, despite the fact he suddenly found himself there to fight for that land, and to be the reincarnation of its greatest hero, and The 13th Reality Book 2 will be no different. James adds, “The Hunt for Dark Infinity is in the editing stage. It was a lot of fun for me because I was mostly done with the setup. It jumps right into action and other alternate realities.”

Readers should pick up The Journal of Curious Letters because, as Dashner himself states, it is “unique, fast-paced, full of riddles and plot twists, some humor, kick-butt ending. I'm biased, however! It has gotten some excellent reviews from the likes of Kirkus and the Chicago Sun-Times.” And also excellent reviews from the students of Payson Jr. High School who read it this year in their 7th and 9th grade English classes. As a matter of fact, many of those students also got to read the early draft of The Hunt for Dark Infinity and are now anxious for James to write Book 3.

The 13th Reality is not the first book James Dashner has published. An earlier series, The Jimmy Fincher Saga is also still available from Cedar Fort. But Dashner feels he has grown as a writer since he published his very first book. “Hopefully I'm a much better writer now, and boy would I love to give my first four books a nice revision—all the technical writing skills I’ve learned since then.”

As most writers know, not every book that is written actually gets published. When asked about his unpublished novels, James says, “There are only two, and one is undergoing a major rewrite while my agent tries to sell it on proposal. This one—The Maze Runner—is at ten publishers as we speak. Keep those fingers crossed! The other one, I doubt it. In fact, I've cannibalized it for other ideas, not the least of which is the name used in The 13th Reality: Atticus Higginbottom.”

But how can budding authors break into the business? James says, “Practice. Write a lot. No matter how bad it comes out, keep writing. Also, attend every writer's conference you can possibly afford to. The things you learn and the networking you accomplish are invaluable.” Speaking of networking and getting people to know about your book, he adds that “networking is by far the best route to go. You need to get to those conferences and meet agents and editors face-to-face.” Advice that couldn’t be more true if you want to be a writer.

But, even if you’re just a reader looking for a book that is fun, exciting, and appropriate for both you and your family, The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters is the book for you.