Little Tiger and the Year of the Dragon - Watchwardens of the Dragon King (Paperback)

Age Level: 11 and up - Grade Level: 5 and up

The Adventure of a Chinese Dragon King in America Continues.

After a 3-month journey to the "Five Realms of Twilight," Little Tiger and his dragon companion Sara come home older, wiser and ready to make a stand against the Beast Witch Queen holding his blood memory hostage. As the young king prepares and trains, he begins to have visions of the secrets in his Beijing garden, his seat of power seized by the servants of Chaos. Time keeps him from China. Duty keeps him from his best friend, dying of cancer despite all efforts, magic and otherwise, to help her. And when Little Tiger and his guardian Watchwardens face the Queen of Beast Witches, they do not see the trap set for them until it is too late. And Sara may have to pay for their freedom with her life.

Little Tiger and the Year of the Dragon is a 6-part Fantasy Adventure and "Modern Dragon Story" by author D. Byron Patterson and includes these sequential titles: The Dragon King of Beijing The Sponge Docks of Tarpon Springs The Song of Dragons Watchwardens of the Dragon King The Shadow Mists of Twilight "(July 2012)" Throne of the Songfinder King "(August 2012)" Amazon Exclusive: Author Q & A with D. Byron Patterson

Q: Byron, what inspired you to write this story?

A: Well, I'd been designing this cartoon lamb for a few years. You know, developing his world, including all these funny songs and anecdotes I was collecting for Lambpants.com. Lamby's big personality matches his heart, but he's a wounded creature. He was a plush toy that the family dog chewed up, but he came to life after a magic water bottle cap was shoved into his head. When a friend asked me about the magic, I looked at Lamby's two Chinese dragon companions and delved into the "mythology of ancient China," specifically the legends of royalty, magic, Sacred Beasts and the supernatural. My wife and I live in Tarpon Springs, Florida, so I wrote a modern children's dragon story about a Beijing orphan who suddenly finds himself in my area with two hatchlings to raise on his own.

Q: But it's six books, right?

A: Yes, but it's a novel-length story (roughly the length of a Harry Potter book) bridged by six parts we've released as chapter books. I originally created a very simple tale that connected the dots for Lamby's world, but when I saw there was much more there, I expanded it greatly. The action takes place over the course of one year, the Year of the Dragon. I developed the plot to revolve around Tarpon Springs, which is entertaining to read, as the characters are going all over the world, fighting flesh-eating ghosts and other darker forces of evil, and then they come back to this tiny town in the Florida bayous. Having the characters rooted in a place not terribly known for magic or dragons really appealed to me -- it makes the action more extraordinary.

Q: How do you think this differs from other children's fantasy?

A: It's a quiet epic that opens up into more complex themes with each part: coming of age, first love, leaving and going home, struggles with identity, facing fears, watching loved ones die. It's a multicultural, modern-day dragon story. Every character is from somewhere else. Every character has some secret mission or vital part to play in shaping Little Tiger's journey.

Q: What should readers take from the "Little Tiger Dragon King" series?

A: That there's magic in everything. That you are better off being yourself. That you often find joy, courage and hope in unexpected places.