CBB Promotions Blog Tour, Interview, & Giveaway: The Dragon's Egg (H.B. Bolton)

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The Dragon’s Egg (Relics of Mysticus- Book Three) by H.B. Bolton

Sure, the glass castle floating over Evan’s head makes him uneasy, but that’s the least of his worries. With each step inside the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams, he must battle against his worst nightmares. One after the other, wispy smoke-filled bull sharks come at him — he must remember they’re only illusions pulled from his imagination by those dreaded shadowlike hands. If only the vengeful dragon circling above was also an illusion and didn’t have his mind set on destroying the one person who can control him: Emrys. Inside the castle’s glass tower, Emrys sleeps in an eternal slumber, and Evan’s uncertain whether he can save the great wizard. Especially now that Emrys’ former student, the Lady of the Lake, has joined forces with the cunning immortal Alamaz. Together they have already stolen the Dragon’s Egg, but their greed doesn’t end there. The Siren’s Pearl calls to them, and that means only one thing … Atlantis is in trouble. Join Evan, Claire, and Dunkle — along with a few other unlikely heroes — as they travel across the realm of Medieval Legends, float through the Ancient Isle of Avalon, plunge inside the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams, and be there when Atlantis rises once again.  

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  The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus- Book One)

Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum … that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods. Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous fish and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.    

The Trickster's Totem (Relics of Mysticus - Book Two)

Life has returned to normal for fourteen-year-old Evan and his older sister, Claire. That is until Dunkle, a clever but stinky little imp, pays an unexpected visit to their school. He has come to take the siblings back to Sagaas, the mythical realm of the gods. Once again, a Relic from the ancient Mysticus Orb has fallen into the wrong hands. Only Evan and Claire, with their unique mystical abilities, can help find it. Through the power of the Trickster’s Totem, a coyote trickster has escaped. His laughter echoes throughout the realm, as he spreads mischief and mayhem. He burns an entire crop of popcorn, carves his grinning image into sacred artifacts, and things really get interesting when he shape-shifts into Evan’s friends. Claire and Evan must capture the Trickster, retrieve the Totem, and be careful not to become sidetracked by robotic Steampunk animals, “sweet” pixie-like Pains, and a problematic mermaid … all while dodging Mothman-like aces. Most surprising, Evan discovers the true reason dragons exist in the Native American Spirit World.     

A magical part of H.B. Bolton’s childhood was being swept into worlds of enchanting
characters, fantastical creatures and extraordinary powers—simply by picking up a book. As a mother and a teacher, she was compelled to create imaginary worlds of her own in order to share them, not just with her children, but with all children. H.B. Bolton lives in Florida with her supportive husband and two highly spirited children. Shh, can you keep a secret? Not only does she write books for the young-at-heart, adventurous sort who yearn to dive into a good young-adult fantasy story, she also writes spellbinding, heart pounding women’s fiction. These particular books are written under the name Barbara Brooke, but that’s another story, altogether.

Connect with H.B. Bolton here:

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What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

Since childhood I’ve enjoyed hearing tales about Arthurian Legends: the Knights of the Round Table, the sorcerer Merlin, the sword Excalibur, the gallant King Arthur, the forbidden romance between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot, and honestly the list could go on for miles. According to legend, Merlin fell in love with the Lady of the Lake and trained her in magic. Although his power of foresight showed him that she would one day betray him, he ignored the premonitions and continued to teach her. In time, she locked him either under a rock, in a tree or inside a glass castle. For purposes in The Dragon’s Egg, I decided to have her place him inside a glass castle, where he sleeps in an enchanted slumber. I also liked how BBC’s show Merlin connected him to being a dragonlord. 

It seemed the perfect fit for my story, but I still needed to add a twist. Merlin became the protector of the Dragon’s Egg, which helped him control the ruthless dragon Thrakon. That was until the Lady stole the Egg, thus rendering the wizard powerless against the vengeful dragon. As it turned out, Merlin was also a member of the Band of Unlikely Heroes. Of course, this legendary group of warriors can be found only in the Relics of Mysticus series  

Who is your favorite character in the book?

It’s difficult to choose, and to make matters worse, it changes from book to book. In this story, I’d have to say that my heart goes out to the imp Dunkle. Much more about Dunkle’s history is revealed, and in doing so, it has caused me to feel more connected to him. 

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I added a new character to the mix. He’s an adorable yet valiant fox, and a perfect sidekick for Claire and Evan. He wasn’t in the original plans; he sort of popped into the story. I love it when that happens. 

Which came first, the title or the novel?

In the case of The Serpent’s Ring (Book One), the book came first, and I continued to struggle with the title for a long time. Once I knew that each book in the series would be named after one of the Mysticus Relics, naming the other titles came easily. I came up with The Dragon’s Egg when my cover artist was working on the cover for The Trickster’s Totem. She accidently named it The Dragon’s Totem, and I really liked it. I decided to transfer the “Dragon” part to the third book. It worked better for the storyline. I’ve already named the fourth book The Mummy’s Amulet, but I haven’t even started outlining the story yet. 

What scene in the book are you most proud of and why?

Legend has it that the Atlantean people were able to communicate telepathically. I hadn’t written dialogue this way before, but I tried it anyway. I can’t give away the ending, but this is a significant element in the final chapter. It adds another dimension to the scene, and I’m happy with the way it worked out. 

Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

When I started my journey as a writer only four years ago, I had to go back to the basics and learn how to write: commas, redundancies, proper use of speech tags, active versus passive sentence structure, conflict, showing versus telling, character point of view, plotting, story arc, pace, and the list goes on. The most important aspect in a book’s creation is to write it well. I still have a long road ahead of me and discover a new writing trick almost every single day.

What do you like most about the cover of the book?

For the first time, readers can see Evan’s, Claire’s, and Dunkle’s faces. Before my cover artist began her rough sketches, I was a little nervous about whether my characters would look like I had imagined. I was relieved when I saw the first sketch, and immediately fell in love with my book cover. I also enjoyed seeing the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams come to life, and the frightening illusions that existed there. 

My cover artist, Elisabeth Alba, does amazing work. You can see more of her illustrations here: http://www.albaillustration.com/

What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2014?

Wow, I’m ashamed to say that I’m not sure. For the past few months, I’ve had my head buried in my own manuscript, that I’ve neglected reading. Most of my reading occurs during summer, when my kiddos are out of school. 

What was your favorite book in 2013?

Last year, I finally had a chance to read The Hunger Games series, and I enjoyed Catching Fire the most. 

What’s up next for you?

My cover artist and I have discussed ideas for The Mummy’s Amulet book cover, so I’m very excited about that. I’ve started researching Egyptian and Mayan mythologies, and will begin outlining the story soon. 

Is there anything that you would like to add?

I can honestly say The Dragon’s Egg is my favorite in the series. The story arc has reached higher levels with each book, and even I’m anxious to see what happens next 

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