Color My Dragon
Or...The Dragon discusses the importance of proper dragon coloring

Back when I was in high school, my dad gave me a book called What Color is Your Parachute? It was one of those self-help guides to help you figure out what you want to do with your life/career.

As a fantasy author, I use the concept when coloring dragons. You see, it drives me batty when authors put a couple dozen dragons together in a grouping, and then “color” them according to their jobs or skill set. This is insanity. A dragon should be colored according to its locale and climate so it blends into its environment. Camouflage equals long life, my friends. This is part of world-building.

Take our real-world dragons as examples. The water basilisk hides amid floating leaves and branches. He blends because he’s green and brown.

Bearded dragons have the colors of the sandy environments in which they live. Green iguanas hide their green bodies in green trees. Rock iguanas lounge their gray, brackish bodies among the dark rocks of the Galapagos. There are tons of examples of lizards using camouflage to avoid becoming prey items.

Those big ol’ dragons in our fave fantasy novels need to avoid slayers in much the same way. Green ones in the green trees; brown ones in the rocky mountains; white ones in the snowy regions. These dragons may get different jobs and skill sets, but would they all live together? Not if they come from different regions, right? In Choices Meant for Gods and Choices Meant for Kings, readers’ favorite dragon Malachi is dark in color—purple, deep blue and black scales blend beautifully against the dark night sky. And guess what: He only comes out at night. It works.

So let me hear your opinion. What colors do you tolerate in the dragons you read about?

“Some days, you just want the dragon to win.”
Tags: fantasy, dragon, world-building, Choices Meant for Gods, Choices Meant for Kings, water basilisk, iguana

I Mostly Tell the Truth!
Or...The Dragon comes clean

So for my Creative Writing blog award...I told six truths and one lie. And #6 was the lie. Mysti Holiday and Jane Sutton guessed correctly. How did you guys know? :)

Yes, I got my writing contracts on my own. The publishing business is bizarre...

The adorable dolphin encounter happened through a supervised swim with The Dolphin Research Center on Marathon. I don't recommend going out and disturbing a pod of dolphins on your own. :)

Also, the gentleman who dreamt of Julette chasing him...totally true. He's around here somewhere...

I'll post some more fun stuff as the weekend gets under way. I post different stuff at my facebook page, if you're interested. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fantasy-Author-Sandy-Lender/217343885021?ref=ts

Enjoy your Friday!
"Some days, you just want the dragon to win."
Tags: lies, Dolphin Research Center, publishing business

The Bald-face Liar Award

Or...The Dragon is asked to display those creative writing talents

The lovely and snarky Rowena Cherry nominated me for the Bald-faced Liar (or Creative Writer) Blogger Award. The rules are that I tell either six lies and one truth OR I tell six truths and one lie about myself. You get to figure out which I’ve done…and which statement is a lie OR which full, complete statement is a truth. Leave a cute little comment to tell me what you’ve decided!

I nominate the following bloggers for this high-society award:

Jamieson Wolf’s Jamieson Wolf Blog

Jane Kennedy Sutton's Jane's Ride
Penny Ehrenkranz's One Writer's Journey
Sarah Handleman
Jo Linsdell's Writers and Authors Blogspot
Laura Crawford Greetings from the Polebarn
Judy Dorsman's Kids and Dogs

And here are my statements:
1. While vacationing in the Florida Keys several years ago, I swam with a pod of adorable dolphins where two crowded in for the chance to kiss my cheek.

2. When I first started taking anti-seizure medications to control migraine frequency and severity, various items like cars would randomly disappear from my field of vision.

3. A couple summers ago, I joined a group of sea turtle volunteers to seek out disoriented sea turtles, ultimately finding one climbing up a curb to a basketball court.

4. While in the hospital at age 38 for a hole in my esophagus during radiation treatments for tumors, inattentive nurses allowed blood clots to form around an I.V. they left in my arm for too many days.

5. A father of teens in the Midwest reported having nightmares that one of the characters from my novels was chasing him with “evil” intent.

6. Literary agents have been indispensable in my publishing success, helping me get my first contract and assisting in submitting stories/manuscripts for subsequent contracts.

7. The first convention at which I spoke in front of an audience had nothing to do with fantasy or creative writing, but was an asphalt paving conference and expo.


So what do you think? Let me know!
“Some days, you just want the dragon to win.”
Tags: lies, creative writing, Rowena Cherry

Top 5 Phone Messages Sandy Has Left For Friends
Or…The Dragon suggests how to get DNA from members of Duran Duran…

Get to know your fantasy author, Sandy Lender, a little better! It states in my bio that I’ve been obsessed with the rock group Duran Duran since about 1984. This is true. Here are some phone messages I’ve left for friends to illustrate the point.


5. What are you doing… (This is a frequent message followed by a specific date and the instructions to return the call immediately. The receiver of the call usually hyperventilates because it means Sandy is inviting the individual to a Duran Duran-related event on the specific date left in the message.)

4. Guess where I am! (Depending on the level of excitement and the pitch of Sandy’s voice, this usually involves a Duran Duran event.)

3. We are about to meet the band! (This is always enunciated very clearly and usually means Sandy is with Jennine or Christine—or both—and the universe is shuddering in a way that causes an earthquake in the eastern hemisphere while Sandy and her accomplice(s) stand outside a VIP room door where various members of Duran Duran await certain chaos.)

2. John Taylor gave me the flu. (Sandy said this one with entirely too much joy before puking.)

1. I have John Taylor’s DNA inside me! (This is an honest-to-God message that doesn’t imply what you think it does—it merely means Sandy got the rock star’s barely used water bottle after a concert and, of course, drank from it.)

Do you leave strange messages for your friends? Whether it’s stalker-related or not, there are probably funky traditions you all have. Share!

"Some days, you just want the dragon to win."
Tags: Duran Duran, fantasy author, DNA, John Taylor