Fledgling by Nicole Conway Blog Tour, Giveaway and Scavenger Hunt Post!

Title: Fledgling

Publication date: April 29, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Nicole Conway

Can one boy stand between two kingdoms at war?

Jaevid Broadfeather has grown up as a wartime refugee, hiding from the world because of his mixed racial heritage. He feels his future is hopeless, until a chance encounter with a wild dragon lands him in Blybrig Academy—a place usually forbidden to anyone but the rich and royal. But Jaevid’s case is special; no dragon has voluntarily chosen a rider in decades, so the proud riders of Blybrig must begrudgingly let him join their brotherhood despite his bloodline. Lieutenant Sile Derrick, a sternly tempered man with a mysterious past, becomes his instructor and immediately takes a peculiar interest in Jaevid’s future.

While struggling through the rigorous physical demands of training, things begin to go awry. Jaevid witnesses the king’s private guards kidnapping Sile in the dead of night. When none of the elder riders are willing to help him, Jaevid begins a dangerous adventure to save his instructor.

Everything Jaevid learned at the academy will now be put to the ultimate test.

Link to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18733563-fledgling   

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters Indigo!

Scavenger Hunt Post,  Stop #9

I'm stop 9 on the scavenger hunt. Below you will see my secret word highlighted in red. Don't forget to keep a note of it and continue on the hunt!!

Excerpt : 

“What’s your name, boy?” The knight asked me. His voice was deep, but not angry or resentful. He was turning my head this way and that, pulling back my hair to see my pointed ears, and looking me over like he was inspecting livestock.

“J-Jaevid.” I told him through clattering teeth.

He frowned, looking back into my eyes before he finally let me go. His own eyes seemed dead to me. Dead—like someone who had seen many years in battle and knew what it meant to kill without mercy.

“How old are you?” he asked again.

“Fifteen, sir.” I took a few steps back away from him. If he came after me suddenly, at least I had some hope of outrunning him. I was small, but I was fast.

Ulric was finished tying the saddle down, and came over with a growl meant to shoo me away. I took the hint and retreated back into the workshop, up to my loftroom where I had a wooden cot piled with old, holey quilts. I went to the small window along the far wall. It was a good place peek at them through the cracks in the boards that had been nailed over it. I could hear them talking, and it made my heart jump into my throat.

And now we have an awesome Guest Post from Nicole Conway: 

What inspired you to write about Dragons?

Hello and thank you so much for having me!

Dragons have always been a topic of interest for me, ever since I was a little girl. My mother was very adamant about reading to me every day, and she always read things that were far above my reading level. So while other kids were reading Goosebumps, my favorite books were The Hobbit, Dragon Weather, Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, and the Changeling Sea. Notice a theme? Most of my favorite books were, and still are, ones with dragons in them. The ideas of fantasy grew in my young mind and made me hungry for more. I wanted to write my own stories—especially about dragons. But despite how much the idea of dragons inspired me, I never really wrote about them until I started drafting Fledgling. They were special to me, and I wanted to have my own unique take on them before I dared to write my own story. I took time to develop my own breed of dragons who were more bat like in appearance, and feline in personality. Sure, the book isn’t really about the dragons, but I take them seriously and I knew readers would, too.

Actually getting to that point, where I was ready to begin the book, was a challenge in itself. I’d already started Fledgling three or four times and scrapped it. I didn’t want to break too far out of a standard medieval-type world, but I didn’t want to create something so mundane that it wasn’t interesting. I wanted to create a fresh take on something that a lot of people, including myself, already knew and loved. What tipped the scale and gave me the inspiration I needed was my husband’s career as a fighter pilot. I’ve been with him since his first day of training. He’s been through a lot, and the world of pilots in the Air Force is one that most people don’t really know much about, let alone get to experience. I decided it marry that idea of military air training to my love for dragons. I was going to create an army of dragonriders, and tell the story of a boy growing into his own as a soldier. I wanted to give my readers a chance to step into the world of militaristic dragonriders with the narrator, seeing and experiencing it for the first time right along with him.

About the Author : 

ABOUT NICOLE CONWAY:

Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.

Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school.

 She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway Information:  Winner will be drawn May 31, 2014

·         Four (4) winners will receive an ebook copy of Fledgling by Nicole Conway (INT)

·         Five (5) winners will receive a paperback copy of Fledgling by Nicole Conway (US/Canada)

·         One (1) winner will receive an ebook copy of Fledgling by Nicole Conway AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card or B&N Gift Card – Winner’s Choice (INT)

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