Guest Author: Daryl Devoré and The Last Dragon

In the author support groups to which I subscribe, many different genres are represented and many, many stories are told. Recently, a post piqued my interest when Daryl Devoré, already a multi-published author of spicy romances , stated that she had a new sweet fantasy romance, and that the lower heat level was a change from her usual writing. I’ve enjoyed a few dragon stories, so I got a copy of her book, and now that most of my Christmas stuff is done, I’m carving out time to read it. I’ll share my Goodreads review later in the month, but for now I asked Daryl to share a bit about the impetus for that switch, and she kindly agreed. Please welcome Daryl!

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The Evolution of a Writer

Hi, I’m Daryl Devoré, originally a hot romance writer. I’ve been told that my hot scenes are some of the hottest readers have read.

So why am I here on a sweet romance blog? Evolution.

I wrote a hot medieval romance several years ago, and someone mentioned they expected to see a dragon appear at some point in the book.

The thought nestled itself in the back of my mind. Several other books were written, then a dragon started flying around in my head. So, I sat down to write the story.

But, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like where it was heading. I loved my female MC, Derry, so beautifully sweet and innocent. My hero, Prince Hawkyns, the definition of nobility. A hot romance was just wrong.

I put the book away. Several years and a couple of new books later, I sat down and tried again. I ripped out parts of the beginning and suddenly found I was enjoying what I was writing. It’s been a long time since I was happy with that. Don’t get me wrong. The other books are good (personally, I think they’re great!), but it wasn’t my true voice.

Problem is, once you are labelled a certain type of writer, your readers expect that in every story. I said, “Forget about it. I don’t have a lot of readers, so who’s going to care.”

Then I settled back and let the story unfold the way my writing voice and characters wanted it. I was no longer bound by the expectations of the heat level. The result – The Last Dragon – a book I am truly proud of.

Excerpt –

The men’s gazes fixed on the crimson glow of the embers. Twilight too feeble to ward off the soul-freezing sounds drifting out of the woods, weary travellers sat around a campfire with heads bowed and huddled deeper into their cloaks. Strangers to each other, but linked at this shared moment by the need for companionship and the illusion of protection.

The evening grew darker. Clouds blanketed the sky, erasing the stars, dulling the moonlight. A breeze rustled the leaves of the bushes.

Or was it a breeze?

Heads lifted and gazes searched into the darkness for danger. One of the horses tied to the trees reared its head, whinnied and stomped the ground. The wayfarers pushed their hoods back and peered past the startled beast. Two men reached for their swords.

A log dropped deeper into the fire and raised a shower of sparks. Crackles and hisses erupted and faded as the blaze settled. A gust of wind blew curls of smoke meandering around the men, stinging their tired eyes.

Silence fell once more on the huddled group as the travellers shifted their focus back from the world outside the campfire to the one inside their thoughts.

A bard raised his hands towards the heat of the flames, cleared his throat and lifted his voice. “The Legend speaks―in whispers―of an evil dragon who flies in the dark of the moon. The heat of its breath will melt a man’s soul and kill ye alive. Alive yet dead. Never again to taste, touch, love or be loved. Those who obey its commands; their fire burns a man’s flesh and turns his bones to ash.

But, they say, there is a dragon the colour of the sun and a brave prince. When their hearts become one only then can the devil dragon and all loyal to it be slain and their souls banished into the depths of Hell.”

Blurb and Buy Links –

What do dragons, knights and romance have in common? Grab a copy of multi-published author Daryl Devore’s medieval fantasy romance – The Last Dragon and discover the answer.

A sorcerer craving dominance merged with a dragon, the power overwhelmed him causing him to split into three dragons. Demora ruled thought, but was lost in time. Yidithe offered protection, shining like the light of the sun. Ayrradex craved chaos, revelling in destroying souls.

Many knights died, attempting to slay the devil beast. One knight, Prince Hawkyns, did not fear death. He’d lost everything. Away on a mission when Ayrradex attacked his father’s kingdom, Penrythe, Hawkyns returned to find his noble father – feeble and defeated. His wise mother – crazed. His beautiful wife and unborn child – dead. Only a pile of ashes remained for him to bury. He knelt before his King and vowed to slay the devil-beast or be slain.

Derry was born with powers that terrified her parents. They delivered her to a nunnery to be raised in secret. Jathe, a wise sorceress, discovered the young girl and trained her to one day use the secret hidden in her soul.

Legends spoken around campfires hinted the sole way to destroy Ayrradex was when the hearts of a knight and a golden dragon became one. But after a vicious battle with Ayrradex, the golden dragon was thought to be dead.

Can Prince Hawkyns’s bravery and Derry’s powers end the reign of the devil-beast’s terror?

Amazon – ebook

Amazon – print

BookSprout – read and review – link pending

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Bio and Social Media Links

Two writers in one. Daryl Devoré writes hot romances with sexy heroes and strong heroines and sweet romances with little to no heat. She has several published books available on Amazon in ebook or print book and available at other book retailers via Books2Read.

Daryl (@daryldevore) lives in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and 2 cats. Daryl loves to take long walks on her quiet country road or snowshoe across the back acres, and in the summer, kayak along the St. Lawrence River. She has touched a moon rock, a mammoth, and a meteorite. She’s been deep in the ocean in a submarine, flown high over Niagara Falls in a helicopter, and used the ladies room in a royal palace. Life’s an adventure and Daryl’s having fun living it.

Blog – Romance – Sweet to Heat

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