The AwakeDragon Blog

For years, I existed on the internet as “Awakedragon.” (I think my Twitter handle might still be that.) I’m claiming my own name now, but as a nod to my beginnings, this is now the AwakeDragon Blog!

Check out my posts below to see the latest updates in writing and life.

Or check out my novels and short stories here!

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  • THIS BRANDING THING I DID

    Alright, after the heaviness of this Monday, let’s talk about something fun and simple for a minute. A couple months ago (jeez, that long ago?) I talked about branding myself — if you haven’t read it, you should, because it’s not as scary (or as boring) as you think it is. Anyway, in trying to take…

  • Death and Decay

    One of my goats, Beltaine, died last Wednesday. It was pretty sudden, and the circumstances are a little bizarre. The vet has sent off tissue samples to get more answers and information. But needless to say I’ve been hurting, and struggling a lot. My goats are my babies; I help them come into the world,…

  • A Change for AwakeDragon

    All right, so this week’s post is going to be short and sweet. Because I want to highlight a change happening to AwakeDragon. I’m adding a whole new page, which will be set as the front page, consisting of a colorful and exciting description of my upcoming New Adult alternate-history fantasy series. I’d like to have a…

  • Behind the Scenes In Being Published: Update and Cover Art (Aug. 2017)

    Recap: I sold my New Adult alternate-history fantasy series late last year to Glass House Press. Since then, I’ve been detailing my journey of what goes on behind the scenes. Now, my publishing story is going to be (probably markedly) different than someone else’s, but you might take some inspiration or advice with my tale.…

  • Strange Neural Pathways: Moving On From Grief

    It’s very strange how our brains make connections between ideas or concepts that don’t really seem all that relatable. Example: I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy with my biological father when I visited him on the weekends. It wasn’t the only show we watched, and honestly, not even the best. But we watched Grey’s Anatomy.…

  • Let’s Talk About “New Adult” Novels

      Okay, so we all know what Young Adult (or YA) is. Novels written for a teenage audience. And we know what “Adult” books are. Books written for an adult audience. If you don’t know what “New Adult” is, that’s okay, because it’s kind of a new phenomenon and doesn’t have an aisle at the library…

  • Behind the Scenes In Being Published: Contract Writing vs. “Free” Writing (June 2017)

    If you’re not caught up on my writing journey so far, I signed a contract selling my INITIUM series late last year. A month or two later, my editor said I needed to write a prequel because my world is very complex, and she was worried I started to far into my character arc. You may…

  • Branding Myself Journey (er, the Incomplete Journey)

    Like any author in this day and age, “marketing” is a huge part of our job, traditionally published and indie alike. Marketing is this huge vast subject that scares the crap out of most authors, but includes things like: interaction on social media (with fans and other writers — and keeping consistent with whatever platforms you…

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  • Prequel Problems: Likable Characters

    So I’m writing a prequel to my INITIUM series, the first book tentatively due out in Fall of next year. I wasn’t sure I wanted to write a prequel, as the events in it are fun mystery details throughout the first book, and you learn about them and why my main character is the way…