Blog Tour: Here Be Dragons: As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows

YOU GUYS. I have an AMAZING post for you today! To celebrate the upcoming release of As She Ascends, Jodi Meadows is stopping by the blog to share some tidbits about the dragons that populate the Fallen Isles, I'm sharing some amazing DIY dragon crafts, AND there's a giveaway! PLUS PLUS PLUS if you haven't yet preordered your copy of ASA (honestly, why haven't you??), I've got all the information you need to snag some fantastic goodies from Jodi!

Release Date: September 11, 2018

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: young adult fantasy

Format/Source: DRC, from the author

Status: Book 2 of the Fallen Isles trilogy

Links: Before She Ignites blog tour

Summary:

MIRA, THE HOPEBEARER

Mira Minkoba is on the run with her friends after a fiery escape from the Pit, where she’d been imprisoned for defending the dragons she loves. And she wants answers. Where have all the dragons been taken? Why are powerful noorestones being shipped to the mainland? And did the treaty she’s been defending her whole life truly sell out the Fallen Isles to their enemies?

MIRA, THE DRAGONHEARTED

As her connection to the dragons—and their power—grows stronger, so does Mira’s fear that she might lose control and hurt someone she loves. But the only way to find the truth is to go home again, to Damina, to face the people who betrayed her and the parents she’s not sure she can trust.

Home, where she must rise above her fears. Or be consumed.

The second page-turning novel in Jodi Meadows’ Fallen Isles trilogy scorches with mysterious magic and riveting romance as one girl kindles a spark into a flame.

Guest Post with Jodi:
The Dragons of the Fallen Isles

One of the things I get asked most frequently is how I came up with all the different dragon species in the Fallen Isles, and why I wanted so many.

Well, the answer to the second question leads nicely into the first, so heeere we go!

There's something so charming about the way kids in our world love dinosaurs. They know all these species, can pull random facts out of the dinosaur database in their heads, and they even seem to know the controversies. It's incredible. I wanted to write a fantasy story about a teenage girl who feels like that about dragons, but in her world, dragons are real and she can have first-hand experience with them.

So I set about figuring out what kind of dragons might be present here, given the geography and size of the islands, and what sort Mira might be closest to.

Obviously I wanted big dragons, because awesome, but I also find tiny animals so adorable. (I'm a ferret person.) So I considered . . . what if my ferret were a dragon? The personalities for the Drakontos raptus were built from there: they're ferret-sized, uppity and fun-loving, and very social. They can also be trained to perform tasks (for the right reward) and they enjoy working.

But for the larger species, considering the amount of food they'd need to consume, it made sense they'd be more solitary, territorial creatures like the dragons we often hear about in stories. So I used that assumption as a jumping-off point for the bigger species in the Fallen Isles, giving them unique traits to ensure they always read differently on the page. For example, the Drakontos titanus has the distinction of being the largest dragon in the Fallen Isles, while the Drakontos mimikus can change its scale colors to blend in or scare off other dragons.

I love dragons, and if you're here, I'm sure you do, too. So if you could have any kind of dragon as a companion -- from any world, not just the Fallen Isles (but bonus points if you choose one of mine) -- which would you choose?

Dragon crafts:

Part of the As She Ascends giveaway pack you can enter to win at the end of this post is a pair of  knit dragon mitts handmade by Jodi herself! There are a TON of super cool dragon crafts available on the internet, and I wanted to show you some of the best ones I've seen.

First up is the craft that inspired me to include this section: paper mache dragons created by Dan "the Monster Man" from Gourmet Paper Mache. Dan is LEGIT, you guys. He's been creating paper and cloth matche (a term he invented) dragons for 55 years and has even written books about his process! He has a ton of cool timelapse videos of his fiery creations on youtube and does step-by-step tutorials on his blog (also lots of kitty pictures!).

Speaking of knitting, check out this incredible knit dragon scale armor from Jaye Creations! This is a small shop owned & operated by two college students! You can check out their website and portfolio, their Etsy shop, and their Facebook page.

Shout out to my friend Nicole aka fearyourex on Instagram. Nicole is a boss bookstagrammer who is known for her pirate and dragon photos! She put together an amazing tutorial for DIY thumbtack dragon eggs!

I thought it would be cool to post a little tutorial of these dragon eggs. I'm not going super in depth with this because you can find the tutorials everywhere. 🐉 Items Needed: Styrofoam Egg (s) Empty boxes Thumb tacks (amount varies based on egg size, the large eggs take ~450, the medium ~250, and the small ~150. It also varies on the pin spacing) Nail polish in color(s) of your choosing. Keep in mind most colors need minimum of 2 coats. Patience Time TV or Audiobook to help you pass the time. 🐉 1.Push all of the pins you'll need into a box to make painting easier, I recommend painting extra just in case. The empty @nerdy.post holds ~200 pins. 2. Paint the nail polish and allow adequate drying time in between layers. (Repeat as needed) 3. Allow pins to dry for 12-24 hours 4. Starting at the bottom center push the first pin in. 5. Continue pushing pins in going outward from there (if I do multiple colors I just put them in randomly. Continue until egg is completed. 6. (Optional) paint a layer of clear nail polish over egg (one half at a time) to protect it. 7. Enjoy! . . . #bookishfeatures  #bookworm #ireadya #bookaholic #bookchallenge  #instareads #booknerdigans #yalit #booksofinstagram #featuringbookstagram #readersofinstagram #libraryofbookstagram #bookphotos #bookdragon #epicreads #fiercereads #dragons

A post shared by Nicole•27•MN•⚓•🐍 (@fearyourex) on Nov 30, 2017 at 2:48pm PST

Another sculpting DIY comes from Talon author Julie Kagawa, who creates mini dragons when she's not writing and sells them in her Etsy shop! Julie took over the Harlequin Teen blog with this amazing tutorial.

I saw this dragon painting video in a Twitter moment months ago, and I find it INCREDIBLY soothing to watch. The artist is Keisuke Teshima, and you can find more of his work at his Facebook page.

Japanese artists use this amazing technique to paint beautiful dragons using a single stroke of a paintbrush. pic.twitter.com/34N4WcjuwL

— Business Insider UK (@BIUK) February 2, 2018

For more dragon egg DIY, you can make these gemstone dragon eggs, dragon deviled eggs, concrete dragon egg votive candle holders, dragon egg bath bombs, chocolate dragon eggs, or these EPIC dragon egg candles! For those of us with a lot of bookish candles/wax melts, this is a great way to use up the last little bit of wax. Just make sure you're careful which candles & scents you combine.

Purchase Links:

   

Preorder Goodies:

There's still a week left to preorder As She Ascends and snag some amazing Fallen Isles swag!

What you get:

•A signed As She Ascends bookplate!

•As She Ascends dragon stickers!

•As She Ascends bookmark!

•As She Ascends dragon card!

How you get it:

1. Preorder As She Ascends

2. Take a photo of the receipt or forward the receipt to unicornwarlord@gmail.com 

3. Make sure to include your address at the top of the email — and write it out exactly as 

it needs to be on an envelope (INT folks, this is especially important for you!).

4. If you order multiple books, then you get multiples of all the things! 

Just be sure to point it out at the top of your email.

5. This is first come first serve.

YES, this is open internationally.

YES, both hardcovers and ebooks count!

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

If you preorder from One More Page Books, you'll receive ALL the above PLUS:

•Exclusive Fallen Isles tapestry card

•Access to behind-the-scenes goodies

•A signed, personalized, and stamped edition

The tapestry card and access to the behind-the-scenes content will come with your book when it arrives.  One More Page doesn’t typically ship internationally arrangements have been made with them to do it this time! Thing to note: they’re having trouble getting the site to calculate international shipping, so email them and they will be happy to help you! info@onemorepagebooks.com

Tour Schedule:

WEEK 1

8/27: The YA Book Traveler - Character Spotlight
Alexa Loves Books - Character Spotlight

8/28: Books & Prejudice - Character Interview

8/29: Moonlight Rendezvous - Playlist

8/30: Bookcrushin - Styled by Books

8/31: Love is Not a Triangle - Dragon merch

WEEK 2

9/3: Mary Had a Little Book Blog - Here Be Dragons

9/4: The Clever Reader - Readalong How to Guide with discussion questions

9/5: That Artsy Reader Girl - Dragon Nail Art

9/6: Take Me Away To A Great Read - ASA makeup look board

9/7: A Backwards Story - Traveling the Fallen Isles

About the Author:

Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the Incarnate Trilogy, The Orphan Queen duology, and The Fallen Isles trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane (HarperTeen). Visit her at website: www.JodiMeadows.com.

Author Links:

    

Giveaway: 

As She Ascends prize pack featuring: handmade knitted dragon mitts by Jodi Meadows, signed paperback of Before She Ignites, Mira & Lala magnetic bookmark and Hopebearer Candle by Cornerfolds Candles

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