Some 35 years ago, I created a young farm boy named Aron and a great golden dragon named Doubloon (well, he was Dabloon in those days, because kid me didn’t know the proper spelling) for the first short story that I ever felt comfortable submitting for publication. It was rejected, of course. Many times. I’ve always wanted to share those characters with the world, though, and today, I get the unique opportunity to share the first images of them.
Thanks to the wonderful art of Cedar Sanderson, Doubloon and Aron come to life on the cover of “Dreams of Gold and Fire,” my soon to be released first novel from Raconteur Press.
I’m not going to lie, I squeed at the first look that I got at Doubloon when Cedar sent me an early peek a couple of weeks ago, and I’m not the kind of person who squees … ever. I’ve been dying to share it far and wide since then but was waiting until it was finalized. This morning, Raconteur let the cat out of the bag on their Substack and X feeds, which means that I can do the same.
I can’t wait for everyone to meet these characters and share in their adventures. I’ll have pre-order and release dates to post very soon.
One of my stated goals for 2025 was to have my first book published. In a few weeks, that mission will be accomplished. Now the nervous wait to see if anyone actually likes it. The response from the few people who have had a chance to read it early has been very positive, so I’m hopeful. Here’s to a successful first launch and many more to come.