The Pack Rat Mage

This is another one of the folks who won in the raffle I posted for a story with me. Bob wanted to see what would happen if Farloft's hoard disappeared and Clearair was left to guard the remainder as Farloft went off to search for the missing pieces. He had no idea how it would play out once my scribe got hold of the idea. *grins*

The Pack Rat Mage

“Have you seen that pearl necklace I received from Queen Sophia?” Farloft asked, as he came into the main part of the cave.

Clearair waded out of the thermal pool in their lair. “It was in the top of the silver caldron with the other jewels in your hoard last time I saw it.”

Farloft sat down on his haunches and gazed lovingly at his beautiful blue dragoness. “You always shine so when you are wet from the pool.” He shook his head. He needed to keep his mind on the task at hand, not his lovely mate. “Have the younglings been playing in the hoard again?”

“No,” Clearair responded with a frown. She sat down close to one of the volcanic cones and placed her paws above it to dry from the heat off the lava far below. “And, you shouldn’t blame our offspring for your misplacing something from your hoard.” She clicked her tongue at him accusingly.

Beautifully Written, Complex Characters

Someone named William wrote a lovely review for my audio book. I wanted to officially thank him here, in case he reads my blog, and also share his thoughts with you on JAMES & THE DRAGON.

5 Star Review

Fanart by Laura Walters

Laval - The Wizard

Meet Laval, the wizard in THE FARLOFT CHRONICLES 

Doesn't everyone deserve to have their own dragons?
(Six Books Available in eBook and Paperback)

(Art by BlueKite-Falls on Deviant Art)

FanArt from Merystic

I am pleased to present another great piece of FanArt 

based on my first book in The Farloft Chronicles,
JAMES & THE DRAGON. 

I think Mery really captured Laval's devious side.

Cover Reveal - The Farloft Chronicles Vol. 6

Sarah Hyndshaw has outdone herself in designing the cover for my newest book

*sticks out chest with pride* 

"Dragon Memories, Dreams & Reflections"

That is Theresa, the Healer, and me on the cover. *smiles toothy grin*

Available Now in Both Ebook and Paperback.

Dragon Memories, Dreams & Reflections

Kingdom of the Last Dragons - Now in Audio!

Wow! Theresa and Sarah are working overtime lately. 

You enjoyed James & the Dragon in audio.

Now listen to Kingdom of the Last Dragons.

Get yours today!

Kingdom of the Last Dragons - Audio Book

The Farloft Chronicles in Paperback!

I am so pleased to announce that Theresa and Sarah are working diligently to put all my Chronicles in Paperback. 

Currently, the first two are up on Amazon and the third will be up within a few days. 

Theresa is cracking the whip.
Looking forward to seeing them all available by August 1st if they can stay on track.

Check them out. My friend Yogoloth just got his in the UK.

The Farloft Chronicles - Paperback

An Exceptional Review for My First Chronicle - James & the Dragon

Thank you R.W. Foster (Rebecca) for your very kind words.
::Huggles::
Farloft, the Dragon

Embracing James & the Dragon

Remember when I mentioned finding an author through a retweet of a retweet?

Well, I checked out the author that put out the first retweet soon after I placed How the Dragons Got Their Colors
into my reading queue. And you know what?

I was very glad I did!

James & the Dragon is the first installment of the Farloft Chronicles, a fantasy chapter book by Theresa Snyder. 

So what's it about?

Farloft is a dragon - one of the last of the great creatures that once flew freely through the skies, aiding humans
in need, and offering their guidance to those with the wisdom to listen... but things have changed. Farloft now
hides himself from humans. Their fear and ignorance has caused them to hunt and kill dragons, believing
them to be cruel and hateful beasts.

James is your average ten-year-old boy. That is, he would be, if it wasn't for a plague that swept through the
land that killed about two thirds of his village... including his family. The villagers are desperate, not even having
enough to feed their own families, due to the losses the plague has wrought, and no one is willing to take James
into their home.

One day, Farloft discovers James after an accident comes close to taking the boy's life. Farloft knows a terrible
blizzard is about to arrive in the region, and sees no choice but to take the boy into his cave in order to keep him
safe until the storm passes.

Attention grabbing, right?

You can see why I downloaded this one. Well, you see part of the reason, that is. 

The other part is that Snyder has written quite a few ebooks of both the fantasy and sci fi persuasion, and a
pretty hefty amount of them are not written for children. In truth, I was excited about all of them. They all seemed
to be great examples of fluid storytelling. 

I chose this one because her twitter feed made it obvious that she had a great love of dragons, which meant her
love for them would shine through in this ebook.

And I was right.

Farloft was not only believable, but also a character that could be identified with. Everyone has felt betrayed,
forgotten, or just flat-out lonely at some point. We've also all felt the hope that this wouldn't last, that somebody
would accept us for who we are.

James brought out similar feelings. He felt lost, alone, and unwanted, yet he also had a warm heart. 

Interestingly, it wasn't my intention to review James & the Dragon today. It had been in my queue for about a month,
but I had a few more to read before starting this one.

But I was falling behind.

Last night, I realized that I wasn't going to finish my current ebook in time. Because of this, I moved Snyder's
ebook up the line and resigned myself to staying up long past my normal bedtime. It was short, after all, and
since it was a children's fantasy, I figured I could have it completed in an around two hours.

I finished it in less than one.

This isn't because it was an easy read. I mean, it was, but that's not why I was able to get through it so quickly.
Rather, this ebook was filled with drama, action, and detail that allowed my eyes to race across each page while
still reading each word. The world of Farloft came alive, and the characters' emotions rang true.

After a while, I began to realize that Snyder wrote an ebook that appealed to a wide age range, even though it was
clearly written for children in the fifth grade (roughly). While the word choices were simple, they were also insightful
and necessary.

It never felt like she was speaking down to her audience, nor did it feel like she was speaking above
them. 

Rather, She masterfully weaved her words together in a manner that would attract more than just the age group
she focused on. I loved it, feeling as though I was standing within the world of the Farloft Chronicles, and I believe
my five year old daughter would be able to love it just as much.

That's a 30+ year age range, for those of you that are wondering. Wow!

There's just one more piece of awesomeness that I wanted to share with you:

Theresa Snyder participates in the Authorgraph program, which means that if you want to have an autographed
copy of James & the Dragon, she'll be happy to oblige! Simply go to the Farloft's Rhetoric  page and find the
Authorgraph box on her sidebar. Choose your book, and voila!

How awesome is that?!

James & the Dragon can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, as well as Scribd.

The New Cover for My Book - by Sarah Hyndshaw

Follow Farloft Friday Follow-up

I would like to express my thanks to everyone yesterday for making my first foray on Twitter a delightful experience. ::ruffles wing in excitement remembering the days tweeting:: 

You were all so kind and generous with your retweets and comments.

I wish to thank @Damyantig for suggesting I join everyone on Twitter, and my dear friend @OftheWilds for encouraging me to take the leap. ::tilts head in thought::

I would like to extend special thanks to @Scottishsnowdragon for the lovely biscuits, ::licks lips in hopes there might be some crumbs left on snout:: 

@Balletmuzik for the beautiful rendition of his composition “Reflections.” ::hums quietly for a moment to himself in contemplation::

And, @Yogoloth for being such a good sport. ::grins at the thought::

I was pleased I could help in resolving issues between @CrazyIdealist and @szwrites even though it meant shattering well held misguided beliefs on the young man’s part. ::shakes head thinking of how the truth of stories has twisted over the years into almost unrecognizable tales::

I was happy to assist @DS_Books with Robert’s misbehavior. I do believe he is a good dragon at heart. He just needs a little firm guidance, like any teenager. I will endeavor to provide that as the situations present themselves. ::wish I could see Robert and make sure he isn't currently planning some sort of mischief::

My love to all my dragon clan for spreading the word and joining in the fun yesterday – a particular thank you to @OftheWilds and @finndragon. ::fully extends wings in salute::

And to all the lovely ladies, an assurance, I WILL NOT eat your sheep unless you provide them roasted, I far prefer wild game. No need to outfit them in armor. ::grins a lopsided toothy grin and shakes head at the thought::

And I will defend all the Fair Lady's honor should they require it with teeth and claw. ::inflates chest in pride::

Until the next time, “May the wind catch your wings and the sun warm your scales.”

-Farloft, the Dragon –

PS -        @Lynoth sent me this photo.

                If anyone sees one of these exquisite creatures, please purchase it for me.

    Please…. I have gold…. Lots of Gold
                I promise to take very good care of it. ::ruffles wings in anticipation:: I love furry little things.

Introduction

Greetings and solicitations, 

"I would like to provide you with a bit of an introduction." :: ruffles wings and settles down on haunches before the computer:: "I am Farloft, resident dragon in the Kingdom of the Last Dragons."

"I was visiting a friend recently when I was introduced to Twitter via a glowing review" ::smiles a toothy grin:: "of a book in which I am featured, JAMES & THE DRAGON – the dragon in the title being no other than me." ::puffs out chest with pride::

"By popular demand" ::raises neck spines for emphasis:: "both from the reading public, Damyanti G (who wrote the charming article), and my fellow dragons, I have been asked to make an appearance on Twitter." ::raising neck spines succeeds in upsetting headset. Readjusts headset and gets back down to business::

"I am a dragon of advanced age, with I might say, a good bit of knowledge to pass on to my friends." ::fiddles a bit more with headset to get it just right. Blasted things a bit awkward, but gives a very dashing profile:: "So, I have consented to take up my headset and do a bit of tweeting each 2^nd and 4^th Friday of the month using Theresa’s account."

"I am surprised I had not heard of this Twitter ‘thing.’ It lends itself so well to a dragon. Though I would be loath to tweet like the blue bird on the herald, I do have wings. Also, Theresa has equipped me with a dictating program called Dragon Naturally Speaking. If it were not written with a dragon in mind, why would they give it such a name? 'Dragon' indeed...." ::smirks in the mirror. I really do look handsome. Wonder what Clearair will think of this?::

"We did have a bit of difficulty finding a headset large enough, but finally accomplished the task at the local 'Gear for Big and Tall Men' shop in something called a mall." ::adjusts headset once more and crinkles brow. Gazes at image once more in the mirror over the computer desk. Wonder if Theresa will let me wear it home?::

"My fellow dragons on Twitter, whom I have just recently met, have pointed out I will be tweeting on #FF. I am so pleased they have already established a hash tag in my honor. I understand from my friends that 'Follow Farloft' has been quite successful over the years."

"I might suggest that in order to assist people in finding other friends and followers than myself on Follow Farloft day, we might add an additional ‘F’ to make it #FFF. This might stand for any number of Follow tips:

Farloft’s Fabulous Friends
Farloft’s Fantasy Friends
Farloft’s Famous Friends
Farloft’s Fairspoken Friends
Farloft’s Fashionable Friends...

Farloft’s Fond Friends
Farloft’s Furry Friends
Farloft’s Flamboyant Friends
Farloft’s Fledgling Friends
Farloft’s Flirtatious Friends
Farloft’s Formidable Friends...

Farloft’s Fortitudinous Friends
Farloft’s Fulgent Friends
Farloft’s Frequent Friends
Farloft’s Flourishing Friends...

Etc. etc. etc.

:adjusts headset one more time. Contemplates the advantages of hanging a mirror in the cave::

"My thanks to Adrian, the bard in our village, for the splendid rendition of me in my headset." ::nuzzles Adrian in the chest, then affectionately breathes warmly over his head, ruffling his hair::

"I look forward to seeing you all on Friday! Good day Twitterlandians! May your wings catch the wind and your claws embrace the ground."

Connections:
Visit Theresa's Main Site for Connections to all my books at http://theresasnyder.blogspot.com/
::tucking wings and lowering raised neck spines leans forward to whisper:: "I'm on the lower left. Working my way up to the top past those spacemen." 
Visit Farloft's Fond Friend, Theresa on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheresaSnyder19  
Visit Farloft's Fabulous Friend, Damyanti on Twitter at https://twitter.com/damyantig
Read Damyanti's review of James & the Dragon at http://amloki.blogspot.sg/2013/10/in-which-you-meet-james-and-dragon.html
Read yet another glowing review from 1000 Worlds in 1000 Words at http://onethousandworlds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/i-am-very-excited-to-welcome-theresa.html
Buy my Adventures: The Farloft Chronicles by Theresa Snyder at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=Theresa+Snyder