+Blog Book Tour+ The Top Ten Dragon Favourites of Jackie Gamber {author of} my beloved Leland Dragon series!

Posted Wednesday, 10 September, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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If you are a regular reader of mine or a frequent visitor, you might have noticed I have always been quite eager to host and devour the Leland Dragon series by Jackie Gamber! I was first introduced to this wicked fantasy series last Autumn, whereupon I read Redheart – a story that set my world afire for the Leland Province and the dragons who nestled into my heart! I have even created a #DragonFiction tag on Twitter to help promote my booklove for dragons as much as to help encourage others to spread the joy of dragons in fiction! I regular converse on the chatter channels of #FantasyChat & #CreatureChat meeting up with like-minded souls who appreciate dragons, gryphons, and all the lovely characters who enchant our minds & hearts in the fantasy realms. I’ll admit I’ve learnt quite a heap from my fellow chatters!

When the Trilogy tour came along for Jackie Gamber, I *knew!* I wanted to be a part of the continued celebration of a series I know I will be re-reading quite a heap in the years to come! The multi-layers knitted into her world-building and the strong characters, both dragon and human make the story and the series evolve inside your mind as you read it; each time discovering something that hadn’t affected you the time before. On Sunday, I will be talking about each of the three stories within the trilogy and my overall recollections of the series as a whole.

Today, I happily invited Ms. Gamber to share her Top Favourite Dragons, which would have been quite keen if I had been able to post this on Tuesday as scheduled as Tuesdays are *always!* wicked happy for Top Ten Tuesday lists! Forgive the slight delay, my migraine would not allow this to appear sooner!

“Top Ten Dragon Favorites by Jackie Gamber”

Leland Dragon series by Jackie Gamber
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry

Since I’ve been a genre girl as long as I can remember, and since writing the Leland Dragon series, lots of folks ask me, “Why?” And more specifically, “Why dragons?”

The quick answer is, “Why not?” The longer version is a something along the lines of, “I don’t know.”

What I do know is that the road to the Leland Dragon Series has been paved by dragons that have come before, that have either influenced me a great deal, or enhanced my enjoyment because they are dragon-related. I’ve compiled a list of them, as the top dragon-related goodies I have personally enjoyed over the years.

1.  Book:My Father’s Dragon” by Ruth Stiles Gannett,
Random House Children’s Book.

This is very likely the book that started it all, for me. I have cherished this book since I first laid hands on it as a child. The version still on my bookshelf, worn and loved, is the Weekly Reader Book Club edition, copyright 1948.

 2.  Movie:Pete’s Dragon”, 1977.

If I could hug a movie, it would be this one. I think it was my first introduction to the concept of a friendly dragon. It seemed logical at the time to think of a dragon as lovable, and I wanted one of my very own to love. No doubt, this movie made an impression.

I share a joy of Pete’s Dragon as this was one of my favourite motion pictures whilst  I was growing up as I simply loved how you could have a dragon as a best friend! I had the same sentiments truly; as I never created the concept that dragons were inherently cruel hearted nor evil; I always felt that although there are bad dragons, there were more good dragons out there to befriend, love, and welcome into my world!

 3.  Movie:Dragonslayer”, 1981.

I’m not against bad guy dragons, however. This film has a bad dragon. Much of what I enjoy is more than just the dragon, though, such as a clever maiden trying to disqualify herself for a dangerous lottery by…no longer being a maiden, if you know what I mean. How is she the first girl to think of this?

 4.  Book:The Neverending Story” by Michael Ende.

This is a German book, translated and published in English in 1983. I love the concept of the ‘never ending story’ in the book, which is impossible to duplicate in the movie. Read the book!

5.  Movie:The Neverending Story”, 1984.

But see the movie, too! The adaptation is well worth it, and it’s a take on the concept that can’t be duplicated by the book.

I positively do not remember how oft I would watch The Neverending Story, but it went toe to toe with Pete’s Dragon, that much is for sure! I would rent both of these films so often the movie rental stores knew to pull the videos long before I ever walked in the door! Laughs. There was something classic and timeless about this story, it was a beautiful fantasy world built with a lot of depth for a children’s film. I wish I had realised it was based on a novel; as I might have acquired a copy over the years!

6.  Movie:Dragonheart”, 1996.

Sean Connery as the voice of Draco. A misunderstood dragon who allies with the knight sworn to kill him. It’s a stop-motion dragon, not the fancy schmancy CG stuff of nowadays, but it’s so real. So seriously real. I love this movie so much.

7.  Movie:Dragon’s World: A Fantasy Made Real”, 2004

This a British Docufiction I first saw on Animal Planet. It’s released with different names, according to the country, but it all comes back to the same film. It’s science-based theory on dragon evolution as if…oh, you just have to watch it.

8.  Movie:How to Train your Dragon”, 2010.

An animated film from Dreamworks of a boy who discovers more to dragons than he first believed. Now that is a story to appreciate. And the dragons are so great! Like a modern take on the whole “Pete’s Dragon”, lovable thing.

I positively love How to Train Your Dragon! It is quintessentially the type of film that makes me happy all over and giddy like I used to be when I was younger appreciating the films mentioned above! I loved the seamless continuity from Part I into Part II; and I was over the moon in joy for being able to celebrate the sequel release for my birthday this past Summer! Ooh, my do I love these films! The scenery and the level of animation from Part I to Part II overtook my imagination; it reminded me how I felt after seeing Avatar!

How to Train Your Dragon Trailer via ParamontMovies

9.  Video Game:The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, 2011.

It’s an action role-playing game, open world, where you’re free to roam wide and far, and where your choices (within certain framing) affect outcomes in a ripple. It’s more questing than shoot-‘em-up fast action; for people like me with less-than-lightning fast reflexes. And another fine example of dragons with noble intentions, as well as destructive.

10.                     Video Game:Dragon’s Dogma”, 2012. Capcom.

An adventure game that allows you to play as the hero, but also create a pawn than you equip, train, and level up. This pawn can then also be used by your friends in their game. How cool is that? My pawn is currently a higher level than both my kids’. Not that I’m bragging. I haven’t gotten to the part where I fight the dragon yet, I’m biding my time. It’s a strategy.

I have other favorites, of course. Many more dragon-related items, stories, and the like, and many more to come that haven’t been invented yet. Some favorites I’ll remember again, like old friends, others I’ve never forgotten.

Stories are like that; whether books or movies or games, or whatever form they take. Stories reach inside and make us feel things, and we remember.

Jackie GamberAuthor Biography:

As an award winning author, Jackie writes stories ranging from ultra-short to novel-length, varieties of which have appeared in anthologies such as Tales of Fantasy and Dragons Composed, as well as numerous periodical publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, The Binnacle, Mindflights Magazine, Necrotic Tissue, and Shroud. She is the author of the fantasy novels Redheart, Sela, Reclamation and writing an alternate history time travel novel. She blogs professionally for English Tea Store.com, where she reviews classic science fiction and fantasy novels and pairs them with the ideal tea-sipping companion.

Jackie is a member of the professional organizations Science Fiction Writers of America and Horror Writers Association. She was named honorable mention in L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Award, and received a 2008 Darrell Award for best short story by a Mid-South author. She is the winner of the 2009 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award for Imaginative Fiction for her story The Freak Museum, a post-apocalyptic tale that looks closely at perceptions and outward appearances and how they affect the way we see ourselves. Jackie Gamber was co-founder and Executive Editor of Meadowhawk Press, a speculative fiction publisher based in Memphis. One of their novels, Terminal Mind by David Walton, won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award in 2009. Jackie also edited the award winning benefit anthology, Touched By Wonder. She has been a guest lecturer at Memphis Options High Schools, and is a speaker at writers’ conferences from Michigan to Florida. Jackie is also the visionary behind the MidSouthCon Writers’ Conference, helping writers connect since 2008.

Author Connections:

Site | @jackiegamber| Facebook

{ converse via: #LelandDragons, #7thStar & #dragonfiction }

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

And, the novel which starts off the Leland Dragon series is REDHEART:

the official book trailer via SeventhStarPress

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Blog Book Tour Stop, courtesy of Tomorrow Comes Media

Click-through to follow the tour:

Trilogy Tour with Jackie Gamber & H. David Blalock via Tomorrow Comes Media

Check out my upcoming bookish events
to see what I will be hosting next for

Tomorrow Comes Media Tour Host

and mark your calendars!

Reader Interactive Question:

If you were to compile a quick go-to list for your most beloved dragons in fiction, which authors, films, or other media examples would be included!? Which of the dragons who have crossed your path have impacted you the most and which dragons are ones you are thankful were held at bay due to their fierce nature!? What draws you into dragon fiction and which authors are you always anxious to find a new release to soak into their world building within the genre!?

Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.

{SOURCES: Book Cover for “the Leland Dragon Trilogy”, Author Photograph of Jackie Gamber,  & Author Biography were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Jorie asked to have an extra stop on the trilogy tour & was hoping to host Ms. Gamber for one of her dragon themed Guest Posts; she was most happy to receive the Top Ten Favourites List through Tomorrow Comes Media via the author herself. The book trailer by Seventh Star Press had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Likewise, the movie trailer for How to Train Your Dragon had had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post for which I am grateful.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Wednesday, 10 September, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Dragon Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Father-Daughter Relationships, Folklore and Mythology, Motion Picture Inter-related to Bookish Topic, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Tomorrow Comes Media, Top Ten Tuesday, YA Fantasy




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