One week until The Dragon Has Some Complaints!
I wonder if I’ll ever get used to this feeling. This is my third time publishing a novel, and I’m still bordering on manic about it. I cannot write, message, or pack enough. The Dragon Has Some Complaints is dear to my heart, about the love of disabled creatures and bonding with myths. I’m proud of it the way parents get proud of seeing their kids go off to college.
It’s a book about a three-headed dragon whose wings are broken but who is determined to fly again. It’s also a book about fearing you don’t have a place in the world anymore, and the miracle of finding you were wrong. It’s about refusing to give in. About queer joy, and resistance against those who would steal it. It’s about puns, and head-scritches for beasts, and some distinctly asexual takes on the dating habits of heroes. It’s also about finding the temperature at which fascism burns.
July has started off wild enough. Amid the record heat and World Cup, I started getting great news. I was overwhelmed to see Amazon selected it as one of the Best SciFi & Fantasy Books of the Month. That came right after glowing reviews in Locus and Booklist. Perhaps my favorite responses of all have been the first bits of fan art of my dragon which have sneaked their way into my inbox.
And still, I’m nervous as a ferret that just heard its first thunder. Nerves are a natural part of any art. The last nine months have been a fight of medical turmoil and physical therapy—ironically, I feel closer to my dragon than ever. We’ve been through such similar purgatories! But we survived them for the same reason: because of the loving and wonderful people we’ve met.
Now I’m medically cleared, and have the help of some amazing friends. It’s not a fantasy anymore. I’ve done everything I can to get into shape for this tour. Am I nervous? Sure am. But I’m equally excited to see people in person for the first time in so long, and to hear what people think of my dragon.
If you’re considering coming to one of these events, it greatly helps if you sign up in advance. Most of the events are free, but “registering” for a ticket helps the store know what size space to setup. I’d like everybody who comes to have a seat!
July 14th: Launch Party at The Strand in New York City, NY, with Sarah Beth Durst
July 15th: The Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, PA, with Chuck Wendig
July 16th: Huxley & Hiro Booksellers in Wilmington, DE
July 17th: Solid State Books in Washington, D.C., with Riley Black
July 18th: Greedy Reads Remington in Baltimore, MD, with Jo Miles
Can’t make it to any of these events but want a signed copy? Order one from Oblong Books and I’ll sign it myself.
I’ll be visiting Oblong this weekend to sign their stock. They can get your book in the mail ASAP! And if they run out, I’ll just have to come back and sign more. My pen is at your command. It feels like the least I can do, for how y’all have kept me afloat during this mess of illnesses.
Dragons don’t give up. And neither do we.