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What's the order of the books in
the series?
The first book is THE SMOKE THIEF,
and the second is THE DREAM THIEF. Personally, I feel that
these two are pretty much stand-alone titles, and you can
read them in either order.
However, I've discovered that when
writing a longish series, it becomes necessary to start including
background information in subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle,
ways in order to catch the reader up on what's happened before.
I think the third book in the series, QUEEN OF DRAGONS, relies
a little bit on at least one of the first two books to be
fully satisfying. (But I could be wrong—I've heard from
readers who started with that book, and they all seemed quite
happy about it, LOL.)
 I
made the conscious decision to set the fourth book, THE TREASURE
KEEPER, in a time and location different from the previous
three, and without the constant reappearance of previous characters,
just so it could be enjoyed as a more independent
novel.
The fifth book, THE TIME WEAVER, borrows
threads from all the others. I think I'm still too close to
it as the author to say how independent it is from the rest
of the series, but I did try to give it some good strong legs.
;-)
(Btw, a mini rant: OMG, time travel.
Writing about time travel! I had to get actual pen and paper
and start mapping out timelines and alternate timelines, and
even though I'm dating a really cute, really brilliant physicist
who tried to explain it to me in exceedingly simple terms,
I kept that chart with me as I wrote.)
 What
are you working on now?
I'm mulling a new idea. Mulling, mulling....
Why are there two separate covers
for THE TREASURE KEEPER?
One was created for the hardcover
edition, and the other for the paperback edition. The hardcover
artwork, as you can see, is very dreamy and mysterious. Very
soft and alluring.
But the paperback cover has a much
stronger visual impact. I love how dramatic it is. I love
that it has curls of smoke and flower petals and a teardrop
diamond that appears to be plunging down the page.
The upshot is: they're both fabulous.
I feel very lucky to have two beautiful covers for the same
book. But please be aware: these are both the same
book!
Is
THE TIME WEAVER the end of the Drákon Series? 
Not if I can help it! Got some new
characters rattling around in my head, along with Rue and
Kit, who are so persistent they might get a whole new
story....
But THE TIME WEAVER does wrap up any
unanswered questions stemming from the books that came before
(I hope!).
Random Personal Questions Taken from
the Guestbook:
What kind of dog is that [on the guestbook
page]?
A large, hairy, white one who sheds
all over the place. LOL. She's a Tchouvatch. She likes to
take me for vigorous daily walks.
What's the deal with the house rabbits?
I started with one house rabbit, many
years ago. Although every single rabbit I've ever had has
been neutered, somehow they manage to keep multiplying, usually
by way of furtive phone calls from friends, going something
along the lines of: "You won't believe it, but I/my child/my
boss/my grandma/some stranger on the street just found a stray
bunny. It's really cute! I don't suppose you could...?"
I know they're cute. But stop giving them
to me. My house is full.
I'm a hot single guy. Will you
go out with me?
No.
It's nothing personal. But any guy who describes
himself as hot probably isn't.
I'm an animal lover too! Will you go
out with me?
Better! Much better approach! But,
alas, still no.
Will THE SMOKE THIEF ever be made
into a movie?
God willing. There've been some
rumbles about it, but nothing definite yet.
And now for my new personal favorite, which
really isn’t in the form of a question, but instead a rather
pointed commentary:
» I have thoroughly enjoyed the dragon
series. However, my experience soured while reading the latest
release, "Dragon Queen" [sic] when I espied the non-word "ironical"
printed near the end of the book. Inexcusable errors such
as these contribute directly to the decline of the English
language and as a result, I regret that I will no longer be
a reader. Best of luck, X* «
Hmmm. My response:
» Dear X*,
I'm so sorry to learn that the word
"ironical" offended you deeply enough to shun my books.
I would like to point out that the
word is included in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
(Tenth Edition) as being a perfectly correct substitute for
the word "ironic," which I presume is your preferred expression.
On a personal note, I used "ironical" because it had a more
old-fashioned sound to me, which fit well with the setting
of the story.
I assure you that the highly trained,
highly professional editors at Random House and several freelance
editors as well approved the use of this word.
I wish you joy,
—Shana Abé «
The Author would like to assure
her Readers that no words or non-words were harmed in the
making of her novels.
*Name has been changed to protect the indignant.
New and of Note: I'm finally on facebook!
Feel free to join in: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shana-Abe/278167764612?v=wall
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