To celebrate the release of Sinister Magic, Book 1 in my new Death Before Dragons urban fantasy series, I decided to round up one of the characters for an interview.
When I asked who was willing, Val said she was busy avoiding dragons and doesn’t do interviews with the press, and Lord Zavryd glared at me in that frosty I-am-greatly-superior-to-mongrel-humans-like-you way of his.
I’m going to be honest: I also got something of A Look from Sindari, the powerful magical tiger who is Val’s ally, but I told him I’m very experienced with furry creatures and would be willing to rub his ears afterward. He scoffed and informed me that he is a mighty hunter, not a house pet. But he did stick around for a short interview. And here it is! (Note: It’s not very spoil-ery, but if you haven’t read Book 1 yet and care about such things, you may want to hold off.)
Interview with the Tiger Sindari
Greetings, Sindari. Thank you for answering some questions. I’m sure the readers are interested in learning more about you.
They will not give this information to Val’s enemies or mundane humans, will they? Mundane humans do not understand magical beings from other realms, so they cannot be trusted.
They also tend to scream loudly when they see a large silver tiger, even though I am honorable and majestic and should be revered.
It’s possible they’re afraid you’ll eat them. But don’t worry. My readers aren’t mundane.
They have the blood of elves or dwarves or other magical beings in their ancestry?
Of course. They’re also curious about why you’re silver instead of orange like most tigers here on Earth.
I am not from Earth. Much of the foliage on Del’noth is gray, silver, and pale green, and I blend in it with it nicely. It is more difficult to blend in here, but that is what magic is for. When I’m called by the ugnaknor charm to visit this world, I prefer to be inconspicuous until I pounce on my enemies and utterly destroy them.
Yes, I know about that charm. How did Val come to have it?
That is a long story, and she would be the one appropriate to tell it. I will say that the previous owner of that charm was unsavory and made me do ignoble things, so I am glad he is no more.
So you don’t mind working for Val as kind of a sidekick?
A what?!
Did I say sidekick? I meant honorable and majestic ally.
*his green eyes give me a suspicious squint*
I am Sindari Dargoth Chaser the Third, Son of the Chieftain Raul, Feared Stalker and Hunter of the Tangled Tundra Nation on Del’noth. I am not a sidekick.
Of course. I misspoke. Is that all part of an official title? I’m wondering about capitalization.
It is official.
How do you feel about your ally Val?
She is overly sarcastic and not always properly respectful, but she is a good warrior, and she does not use the magic of the charm to compel me to do ignoble things. Thus I prefer her to the one who held the charm previously. I have slain many vile enemies with Val, and we have protected helpless people from certain death.
And how do you feel about your new ally, the dragon Lord Zavryd?
I hardly think of him as an ally, and he barely acknowledges the existence of anyone who isn’t a dragon.
So he’s a touch arrogant?
He is a dragon. That is how they are. Do not speak badly of dragons. They can incinerate you with fire or use their magic to turn you into a slave. Val is unwise to use her sharp tongue on Lord Zavryd. Even a hunter as mighty as myself knows how foolish it is to irk a dragon.
You don’t think he might appreciate someone brave enough to stand up to him?
Standing up to a dragon just puts you in a better position for him to incinerate you.
So you think she should avoid him in the future?
Absolutely.
Do you think she will?
*he sighs*
No.
Well, we’ll follow along with your story to see how that all works out. Hopefully, it won’t end with incineration. It’s hard to keep a series moving along once the main characters are turned to ash.
I will not be incinerated. I am properly respectful of dragons.
Thank you for your time, Sindari!
Readers, if you haven’t checked out Sinister Magic yet, you can read the sample chapters here and meet Sindari in the story. (Also Val and Zavryd.)
If you’ve read my space opera or my heroic fantasy, you’ve probably guessed that I’m a fan of stories that take place in made-up worlds far, far away. It’s what I grew up reading (Eddings, Brooks, Feist, Tolkien, about a thousand Forgotten Realms and Star Trek novels…), and it’s always seemed fun to make up all new worlds for my stories.
I’ve been dealing with some hacks and security issues with this website, so if you came by this winter and had trouble, I apologize. I hope everything is fixed now. After getting everything professionally cleaned up, I enabled some extra security measures with the log-in, so now I feel like I’m trying to get into the missile silo under Cheyenne Mountain (which would totally be worth it if I could then go through the Stargate!).
