AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH DREAGEN // chatting to the author of the Born of Fire series about all things writing, fantasy & dragons!!!

Long time no post apparently,,,

But I am absolutely thrilled and honoured and ecstatic about today’s post!!! Wanna know why? BECAUSE I GET TO TALK ABOUT DRAGONS!!!!! And who doesn’t want to talk about dragons all day every day?

I have had the priviledge with speaking to the wonderful author of the Born of Fire series who so kindly has collaborated with me for my very first blog promotional post. So let’s just ‘ride’ right on in, why don’t we… Ha get my dragon pun?

Click for more info on each of the series <3

🔥 Book 1

Title: The Dawn of Legend
Series: Born of Fire
Page count: 736
Genre: YA high fantasy

Synopsis:

On a night tinged by a red sky, a mysterious figure, while being pursued by an armored conclave of dragons, whisks a baby away to the halls of a natural history museum.

There, the baby is found by a museum guard who, after a violent explosion, finds himself the father of a strange boy with red eyes. Naming him Rex, their lives become intertwined for the next fifteen years. Shunned as a freak by humanity, Rex’s life is filled with cruelty and violence, with his father being the only source of love he has ever known. That is, until one fateful night, the dragons that orphaned him on earth once again appear and turn his world upside down, releasing the power lying dormant within him and changing the course of his life forever.

Now Rex awakens to find himself lost in a strange and beautiful world called EeNara; a breathtaking and wondrous place, filled with dinosaurs, who like him, possess a living flame. The primordial fire that burns within all things, and gifts those born with the ability to use it, with incredible power.

With the help of five wayward new friends, Rex learns to harness the destructive power of his own flame, before setting out with them on a journey to unravel the mystery surrounding their origins and save EeNara from the Draconic Holy Order who seek to bring about its ruin.

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🔥 Book 2

Title: Beneath A Burning Sky
Series: Born of Fire
Page count: 807
Genre: YA high fantasy

Synopsis:

In the aftermath of the dragon’s attempt to rain fire and death down on EeNara, Rex and his friends’ journey to the city above the clouds, Grand Heights. While there, they struggle with what it means to be the saviors of their world, while simultaneously confronting the hardships of growing up. Now the dragons have returned and set their sights on a prize that threatens the very future of the planet. Dinosaurs and dragons clash in an epic battle once again, as the six young warriors are called to stand between their world and oblivion.

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🔥 Book 3

Title: Tomb of The Forsaken
Series: Born of Fire
Page count: 555
Date published: 20 April 2024
Genre: YA high fantasy

Synopsis:

In the aftermath of the Dragon’s siege on the city above the clouds, Rex and his friends embark on a mysterious journey to the frozen north, home of EeNara’s ancient Dinosaur tribes. Together, they must bridge the gap between the old and modern worlds and confront a dark, eldritch horror awakened after centuries of slumber. Old enemies must set aside their differences and unite to battle against an evil that threatens to extinguish all life, leaving only itself in its wake.

 

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This is a paid promotional blog post. Thank you to the author for collaborating with me on this author interview, and for gifting me a set of the Born of Fire ebooks! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH DREAGEN

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Hi hello Dreagen! Thank you so much for being here me today to celebrate the release of the latest third instalment in the Born of Fire series aka Tomb of the Forsaken. Big congratulations on this release, which I cannot wait to dive into. I mean, look at the cover?!?! Anyways, without further ado, let’s get into the questions!!!

First and foremost, can you tell us a little about yourself: hobbies, favourite foods, where you are, how are you? And a little bit about Born of Fire: Tomb of the Forsaken and the series as a whole? No spoilers of course!

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Hello Ruby! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I live in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, USA, with my beautiful wife and daughter, two rambunctious dogs, and a no-nonsense cat. I grew up moving around the world, but a single constant was always my love of dinosaurs and monsters. As far back as I can remember, I was watching movies of lost worlds inhabited by living dinosaurs, people running from things with gnashing teeth and claws, or Godzilla stomping cities into the ground. When I got a little older, I discovered books and delved into these same kinds of stories on the page, which blossomed into my own love of writing. When I’m not working on books, I’m usually curating my novel and film library at home, which consists mostly of what I grew up on. I’m a big proponent of physical media since there’s something special that only comes with being able to hold a story in your hands. The same can be said for music, which is why I love collecting vinyl records. It all keeps me pretty busy, but it’s important that I can share it all with my daughter.  

As far as food goes, I’m absolutely crazy about Japanese cuisine! Sushi and ramen especially. My wife and I always make a point of loading up on both when we visit Tokyo. 

 Born of Fire is a series that’s essentially wish fulfillment for a 10-year-old me, haha. A world where not only dinosaurs live but have created a civilization through harnessing a cosmic power that manifests itself as a “living flame.” Coexisting peacefully with a humanoid race called the SaVarians, who share in their might and scientific pursuit. Together, they must defend their world from an army of armored-clad dragons, who have set their sights on it after the fall of their own centuries ago. 

The central character, Rex, isn’t the usual sort of protagonist you follow in a classic hero’s journey. Rather, his tale is more indicative of a villain’s origin story. A dark character wrestling internally with demons that threaten to consume him in the rage of his own flame. However, through the bonds he forges with his friends, he learns that a hero can arise out of anyone and that it’s the choices we make in the face of adversity that truly define one. He, along with his friends, learn they are the Amaranthine: SaVarians who possess the flames of ancient dinosaurs and who can assume these saurian forms at will. 

 In the latest book in the series, Tomb of the Forsaken, the Amaranthine journey to the wilds of the frozen north, where they must confront an eldritch horror awakened after centuries of slumber.

What has your writing process looked like for this book? Did you find it easier or harder for the third in the series? What kind of world-building did you need to do? Are you a plotter or pantser?

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Writing Tomb of the Forsaken was definitely the easiest of the three Born of Fire books to write. Primarily because it’s rooted firmly in horror. Inspired by classic creature feature movies like Ridley Scott’s Alien and John Carpenter’s The Thing, as well as eldritch horror literature in the vein of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Topped off with a healthy dose of gothic aesthetic that speaks of my own ghoulish sensibility. 

For this story, I had to really look inward. Rex, by extension, is a version of myself whose own personal journey mirrors my own in many ways. Confronted by his past in this new story, he will forever be hunted by it if he does not turn and face it. I wrote the majority of this book while I was losing my mother to cancer, and like Rex, learned that I had to let go of the fear of uncertainty that comes from being a child and embrace the responsibilities of being an adult. That has been one of the greatest things about writing Rex’s story because in many respects, it feels like I’ve been writing my own. 

 As for how I like to approach crafting the narrative, I’d say I straddle the line between plotting out the story while feeling it out as I go. I always start with a basic outline for where I need it to end up, specifically how it feeds into the future installment in the series. After that though, I’m basically along for the ride with the reader, discovering much of the emotional beats with the characters literally as I write them. In a strange way, I feel more like a journalist when it comes to writing Born of Fire, chronicling the exploits of these characters rather than just simply making them up. The results of which often see me walking away from a writing session surprised by revelations made and excited over the prospect of what’s to come.

Do you have a favourite character to write? And maybe a least favourite? And why?

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While Rex is by far the most personal character I’ve written, DiNiya, his love interest, and best friend, is easily my favorite to write. Like him, she has struggled with her own internal turmoil and deeply troubled past. However, unlike Rex, she has not only managed to keep from descending into despair but has emerged as a maternal figure to her brother in the wake of their mother’s death, shouldering the burdens of others so they might know some small semblance of peace. She’s the kind of person I’ve always aspired to be. In truth, Tomb of the Forsaken is really her story, the culmination of a journey that began with a tragedy that scarred her when she was a young girl. I feel both privileged and moved to have been able to share DiNiya’s story with the world. 

As for my least favorite to write, this might sound strange, but I think it might actually be Rex. While, yes, telling his story has been cathartic for me in many ways, it also means opening old wounds and examining parts of myself that remind me I’m far from perfect. Then again, that’s the essence of art regardless of the medium.

You’ve written across a few genres now, namely horror and fantasy, how do you balance that? And are you interested in writing in any other genres?

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Writing horror and fantasy has always felt natural to me. Both deal in the fantastic; the unbelievable. Where they differ though, is that fantasy is expansive and encourages the writer to indulge in every detail and curiosity. Horror, on the other hand, is all about minimalism at its core. Less is more, as the general rule of practice. To put it another way, fantasy is like a bodybuilder; big and awe-inspiring to look upon, while horror is like a sprinter: lean and mean. Combining the two, as I have in Tomb of the Forsaken, is really all about striking the perfect balance. Knowing how much to give the reader in terms of the answers they seek to satisfy their curiosity, while also knowing when to hold back to maintain the tension. 

Science fiction is another genre I’m very interested in writing for, though leaning more towards sci-fi/horror. I love tales of the latter set against a backdrop of the former. Some of the scariest films I grew up renting from the video store as a kid, and now proudly own, were based on science gone wrong, or people finding themselves in the depths of outer space where, as the tagline goes, ‘No one can hear you scream,’ haha. I’ve had an idea for one such story in mind for a little while now and hope to start writing it in the next couple of years. It all comes down to time, which any writer will tell you, never seems to be in abundance, haha.

You’ve mentioned your love of palaeontology from a young age, can you tell us more about this? How did it come about? How did that tie into your writing and possible inspiration for the Born of Fire series?

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Since before I can even remember, I have loved dinosaurs. This was the source of my fascination and passion for paleontology. The science of it, to me, felt like peeling back the pages of time to a chapter in Earth’s history where the impossible was actually real! As someone who loves stories of dragons and monsters, there is always a point where I’m forced to reconcile that these things that delight and inspire me aren’t real. Dinosaurs, on the other hand, were! They breathed the same air as us, felt the warmth of the same sun, gazed up at the same pale moon at night. They lived and died under the same sky. They inspired so many of the fables and legends that defined our species, guiding our own story without us even knowing, 66 million years after theirs ended. It’s poetic to say the least, but also incredibly humbling. And so, I feel it’s both my honor and privilege to do my small part in guiding them to their place at the pinnacle of legend. 

That, I feel, was and still is the true inspiration behind Born of Fire: taking something that is rooted firmly in science and bringing it into the fun, inventive realm of fantasy.

Of course, I also have to ask what your favourite dinosaur is? And maybe your favourite dragon?

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When it comes to my favorite dinosaur, that’s easy: Tyrannosaurus rex. The great and mighty tyrant king! I think that’s a common answer for most people my age, though, haha. 

When it comes to dragons, there are a lot of really iconic ones to choose from. But I think I have to go with the original King Ghidorah from the ’60s because he had three heads, came from outer space, and was able to give even the king of the monsters himself, Godzilla, a run for his money, haha.

If you could transport Rex into another fantasy adventure (book and/or movie), where would he go?

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You know, I’ve often asked myself this question, haha. For a book, I think I would put him in The Lord of the Rings because it would be interesting to see how Rex would fare against the influence of the One Ring. That, and I can picture him losing his temper and toppling the Black Gate of Mordor, then attacking the Eye of Sauron directly, haha. 

 For a movie, though, I think it would be a lot of fun to see Rex in The NeverEnding Story. While based on a novel written by Wolfgang Petersen, I feel the movie stands on its own. Rex is so used to any outside threat being literal in the truest sense that to be pitted against The Nothing would force him to change his entire outlook on what he’s really fighting for.

In the first book, Rex is in a natural history museum. What are some of your favourite museums? And your favourite exhibits? And which are on your bucket list?

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One of my favorite museums would definitely have to be the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, in Denver, Colorado, USA. I visited it back in the early nineties, possibly in 1993, and was blown away by the incredible exhibits on display. One that stood out the most was this towering Tyrannosaurus rex in the lobby of the museum. I’ve never been religious, but that was like walking into a grand cathedral and gazing up at some religious icon. After that, though not a museum per se, I would have to go with the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. It’s essentially an ancient riverbed that’s been flipped up onto its side through natural geological upheaval and filled with the fossilized remains of over a thousand dinosaurs. What makes this exhibition so special is that the “museum” was essentially built around the dinosaurs, preserving the site as it had been for millions of years. 

There are still plenty of other museums on the old bucket list I’d like to check out, haha. The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, is probably at the top of my list right now, since it’s the home of Sue the T. Rex, one of the largest and most articulated specimens of that species ever discovered. Others include the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and the Natural History Museum in London, England, both for their impressive fossil collections and historical significance to the field of Paleontology.

What books have you been reading lately? Anything good to recommend?

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Lately, I’ve been reading Clive Barker’s Books of Blood series. Definitely not for the faint of heart, haha, but a true inspiration for anyone who writes or just loves horror. Barker’s unwillingness to be discouraged by themes and topics considered taboo offers stories that make the reader feel like they truly have no idea what to expect. Convention is thrown out the window in favor of the true fear of the unknown, which is the essence of horror. That, and Barker has an oddly charming sense of grim humor that’s peppered here and there in many of his stories. 

Some other books that I would recommend emphatically would be Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, along with its sequel Reliquary. The Dinotopia series, written and illustrated by James Gurney. Dracula, written by Bram Stoker. That Which Should Not Be, written by Brett J. Talley. The Legacy of Heorot and its sequel Beowulf’s Children, written by Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, and Steven Barnes. Also, H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror, At the Mountains of Madness, and The Shadow over Innsmouth.

And last but certainly not least, what’s next for you? What can you reveal about your next project? Next in the series maybe? Can you give us any teasers?

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I’ve been working hard on a horror anthology series called Doom Phage. The first entry in the series is called Night Terror. I will be releasing a standard and illustrated version of that one. The latter is currently available as an ebook, with a physical version not far behind. This is a love letter to the creature feature horror movies I grew up on as a kid. Each will take place in a different year of the 90s and focus on teenagers from that era confronting monstrous creatures in the form of supernatural dinosaurs. A unique and different one in each book. In addition, the series will focus on what it was really like to grow up during that decade: the feeling of disillusionment and distrust from the institutions that promised to keep us safe but ultimately let us down in the end. I guess you could say it’s a tipping of the hat to my generation. 

Lastly, I’ve begun writing the fourth Born of Fire book and look forward to discovering where these characters’ stories will go next!

That’s it for my questions! I absolutely cannot wait to get in this series, and you can get yourself a copy because Tomb of the Forsaken is OUT NOW. Big thank you Dreagen for being here today and another huge congrats on the release <3<3<3

If any of this has convinced you enough, I put together an aesthetic reel, which you can check out below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ruby (@rubyraereads)

 

Dreagen was born in Duran, Germany in 1984 to a French mother and American father. At the age of three, he developed a lifelong passion for dinosaurs, which quickly evolved into a love of science as a whole. Much of his formative years were spent traveling the world while cultivating his love of genre storytelling through literature, film, and television. Dreagen currently lives with his wife and daughter in Seattle, Washington.

Grim Thrall was founded by author Dreagen to promote and publish Dark Fantasy and Horror storytelling, as well as to propagate these genres through various other entertainment mediums and merchandise.  Most importantly, Grim Thrall is a celebration of the dark side of life and all those who find beauty in its shadows.  Reminding them that Grim Thrall will always be their port of darkness, in a sea of light.

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Website // Instagram

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HAVE YOU READ THIS SERIES? OR THIS AUTHOR? ARE YOU GOING TO PICK THE SERIES UP? WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE FANTASY CREATURES? I’D LOVE TO KNOW!