Fireworks, Lasers and Starlight on Launching Parties

We got particularly excited about today and dwarves ordered laser lights to go with the fireworks.  With every single light and sparkle there is a wish for Nick's dream to come true and Andrew gets his college studies.

A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces - real life, flash fiction, and poetry - about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.

The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor's stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination.

Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Smashwords
Goodreads

Editor Bio: Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction. When not writing he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also co-running a campaign to get a dedicated specialist college built in Scotland. Visit him at Scattergun Scribblings.

Cover design: D.R. Cartwright (DRC) from a concept by Ella Wilson.

Since we had laser and firework lights, it was only matter of a bit of magic to bring starlight too. It was only fitting for the launching of Mary Pax's book.

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?

Boomtown Craze, Book 3 in the Backworlds series is here!

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

Available in ebook at:

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords

Other Outlets can be found at http://mpaxauthor.com

It will also be available in paperback from Amazon shortly.

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Website / Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB ~ Goodreads

You can also find M. Pax on LinkedIN, Pinterest, YouTube, and Wattpad




The best of lucks for Mary Pax. This launching party do have a lot of gifts but Father Dragon was not keen enough to work the HTML codes correctly, so please go to her site and don't miss the giveaways.

Overcoming Adversity, a dragon practice

The Overcoming Adversity bloghop is hosted by Nick Wilford from Scattergun Scribblings. It is part of his campaign for his stepson Andrew, who has cerebral palsy. It's all for a noble cause and there is still time to join.  Please click on the links to learn more about it. Theme is: overcoming adversity for something you believe in.

Art: Ghostwalker2061

Father Dragon and the Dragon Slayer

“The greatest treasure you will ever find is in books,” my Grandfather used to say. “Intellect is more precious than gold.”

My grandfather treasured knowledge. It shaped his personality. He believed in selfless service but not in submission. He was born under adverse circumstances. Raised as an orphan, he suffered of bad health since a hatchling. Wealth knocked at his door two times; the first as a heritage that humans stole from him, the second in the form of corruption. He was too young to fight for the first and too honest to accept the second. He rather worked hard than steal.

“The fact you’re born with disadvantages doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a bad life.”

Surrender to adversity was against him. Flaws were challenges and opportunities to show his quality. My Grandfather and I had a common enemy, the Dragon Slayer. That ruthless hunter poisons our bodies and can turn our life into a living hell. He is invisible when he attacks Dragon Fathers and only his opponent can see him. My Grandfather fought the Dragon Slayer first, but he taught me how he did it. He was aware I would become the next Father Dragon and I would face the Dragon Slayer sooner rather than later.

“Don’t be afraid of our enemy. He serves us to prove what we are made of,” Grandpa would tell me. “You and I have Champions’ blood.”

We fought together several times, and often we recovered from our wounds together. His wounds were always the worst but the more they hurt, the louder he sang. He encouraged me to sing along, and he told me jokes to make me laugh.

“If you laugh, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore. It’s when you focus on your wounds that the pain turns into a torment.”

Once I questioned him, rather upset of my mauled condition. “Where do you get strength to laugh at pain?”

 “Listen carefully. When you face adversity, sixty percent of the outcome depends on your attitude. If you accept the victim’s role –Fate’s victim, God’s victim, circumstances’ victim or your enemy’s victim – you will feel trapped and helpless. It will be your doom. But if you think of adversity like a mission appointed to the Ultimate Warrior, you’ll see the challenge but you will also feel empowered with fortitude and resilience meant for heroes. You will become that hero in your heart and you will strive to fulfill your mission, regardless the odds.”

I had the chance to see his words turn into action many times along the years. Doctors were in awe that he got better from conditions that meant death to any other dragon. In the end, it was not the Dragon Slayer that killed him but old age.

The last words of Father Dragon “The Great” to me were a joke. Mine were a vow.

I will never be the Dragon Slayer’s victim, but the hero that will conquer him because I am Father Dragon now.