The Brass Dragon Codex

I jumped into this book which is part of a series (you've probably heard of the popular Red Dragon Codex) without having read any of the other books and was pleasantly surprised. It is well written with a sweet storyline about a dwarf named Hector and of course, a brass dragon. As the book opens the brass dragon, Kyani, is orphaned. He finds himself lost and alone, this would be difficult for any child but especially for a dragon who loves to talk.

Meanwhile Hector is obsessed with a mind boggling invention. In his quest to change the world he forgets what is truly important to him - people. It takes a brass dragon to put that into perspective, but first the two comrades have to survive the blue dragon and his deadly lightening.

This book is classic fantasy and a treat for anyone who loves the genre.

New Website

My husband and I have started a new website, utahwriting.com. The site profiles local authors and you can buy their books directly from the site. Although the website only spotlights authors who are from Utah anyone is welcome to use the forum and other features. The site is for authors of all genres.

I've enjoyed learning about the amazing authors from Utah including Tracy Raye Hickman, Rebecca Shelly, Rick Walton and so, so many more. Of course it will take us quite a while to catalog all the authors from Utah. If you've published and would like to appear on our website send us an email from the site including a bio and list of the books you've written, you may choose to send a photo of yourself as well.

I've Gone Live!

After a lot of hard work my published articles can finally be viewed at ent.about.com In a few weeks my picture will go up as well, adding a finishing touch to the site that will ring with a tone of finality. While there's still a lot of work to be done, (there are always more articles to write,) the knowledge that my articles are available to the public is motivating. Friday at work I was even able to refer one of my patients to an article I'd written on Sleep Apnea in children. Now if I could only see my picture on the back of a book cover!

About.com

Yes believe it or not I still have a blog. For the last two months I have been heavily involved in a contest of sorts. Applying for an About.com position in which I had to write many, many, articles and compete with four other people to win the position. I'm happy to say that I have officially been hired to be the About.com guide for disorders of the ears, nose, and throat. After an extensive editorial process my published articles should be available on the WWW next Friday. Hooray!

Magic

One of the students in my writing class compared suspense writing to a David Copperfield show. She'd figured out that the key to magic is distraction.

Likewise when putting together a plot you use distraction to keep the reader engaged, and the story unpredictable. A prime example of this is "The Candy Shop Wars" by Brandon Mull. With only five pages to go he had me thoroughly convinced that our antagonists were doomed. I'd been so distracted I'd forgotten all about the Clean Slate, a magical piece of candy which when slipped into a person's drink effectively erased their entire memory.

Unlike a magician a writer must leave behind subtle clues. Had Mr. Mull failed to mention the clean slate, back on page two-hundred-and-whatever, at the end of the story I would have been thinking What?! Instead of thinking ah ha! It all makes sense. How deliciously brilliant!

Recognition

I received an interesting letter in the mail Saturday. It was from Cambridge Who's Who inviting me to be a part of their 2008/2009 Registry, Among Executives and Professionals.

My first thought was that they had obtained my information from the Department of Professional Licensing and were sending them to all Registered Nurses. However my husband is also an RN and did not receive one.

I welcome comments from anyone who knows anything about this organization. In the meantime I'm choosing to be flattered as the letter states that the Director of Cambridge Who's Who thinks that I may make an interesting biological subject, to represent Taylorsville, UT, as individual achievement is what they're all about.

Comments on Brisingr

If you haven't read Christopher Paolini's Brisinger yet stop reading now.

I got caught up for days in this story, neglecting my own writing and shirking other responsibilities for the chance to get one more chapter in. It's every bit as good as the first two books in this series. Paolini has a talent for desriptions and his plot kept me reading long into the night. My husband and I are both sad we'll have to wait a couple of years to see how the story ends.

I find myself amazed that a fifteen year old could come up with such an ingenious story. The very idea of a dragon rider sends chills zipping up my spine. Paolini has succeeded in creating a fantasy saga that draws in readers of all genre's. My only complaint is that Oromis and Glaedar died so quickly. I can see that Eragon will learn much from their encounter with Murtagh and Galbatorix, but how great it would have been if they had succeeded in further injuring the empire before their demise.