New Book Deal: The Dragon Squire

I have some BIG NEWS that I've been sitting on for a while.

I've sold a fourth novel!

From Publishers Weekly's Rights Report: Week of September 12, 2016:

Phoebe Yeh at Crown has bought The Dragon Squire by Lou Anders, a middle grade medieval twist on Freaky Friday, in which an arrogant dragon and a hapless young squire switch bodies after a spell goes awry. Publication is slated for summer 2018; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary sold world English rights.

Thanks to my agent and my editor! I'm very excited.

The Summer Dragon

Happy Book Birthday to Todd Lockwood's The Summer Dragon, the first book of the Evertide. Todd is one of the top illustrators in our field. It's been my privilege to work with him on book covers in the past, and I know firsthand that he is also a tremendous guy. But just because someone excels in one field or is a nice person doesn't mean they are necessarily going to be great at something else. 

t was fortunate enough to be able to read The Summer Dragon in manuscript form last year, and I am happy to say that Todd is also a tremendous writer. This is a great book. The world is richly conceived, with a complex history as well as a confident grasp of the ins-and-outs of the daily life of a dragon breeder. At the same time, the world building is never heavy handed--no info dumping here--but a smooth passage through a fully realized environment. The characters are great--I hope my own daughter will read about Maia's adventures when she is old enough--and the plot exciting.

The whole book is beautifully executed, and if that weren't incentive enough, it's also copiously illustrated by Lockwood himself. You're going to want a hardcover of this because the book itself is an objet d'art. Not to be missed. Go buy it now!

Nightborn: Testament to Surly Dragons!

Kirkus has reviewed Nightborn,the forthcoming second book in the Thrones & Bones series. It's a fantastic review, especially for the second book of a series. They say:

"Whereas the first book was characterized by a fair amount of adult guidance, this tale is primarily propelled by young protagonists and antagonists (an enthralling doppelgänger dark elf pair also seeks the horn). In turn, Karn and Thianna are more defiant, less naïve, and have more to lose this time around—namely each other—but they refuse to lose themselves. A winning testament to the value of friendship and to a surly dragon’s power of persuasion."