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Monday, October 14, 2013

Dragons, Mythology, and Romance by Nancy Lee Badger

Welcome back to History Undresesd, guest blogger, Nancy Lee Badger! Nancy writers historical/paranormal romance. Today she's written a post for us on dragons and mythology! You may remember reading a couple of years ago her post on Dragons of Scotland, if not its worth a read! Enjoy! 

Dragons, Mythology, and Romance
 by Nancy Lee Badger for History Undressed


I love dragons. Who doesn’t? Whether you consider them an extinct species, or mythological hokum, there is mystery to dragons that make them work in a paranormal romance novel. They fill books and songs, have been immortalized in paintings, and their stories have been passed down through folklore. I have written several books where one of my main characters is a Scottish dragon in human form. Some have chosen to change into a human while others transform into a dragon unwillingly.

If you were to open a dictionary, you might see dragons described as mythical monsters that are traditionally represented as great in size, having a lion’s claws and serpent tales. They usually have wings, some have horns, and all are covered by scales. Of course, the word ‘dragon’ is sometimes used to describe a fiercely vigilant or intractable person, or any of various lizards, such as the Komodo dragon, or a flying lizard. Representations of dragons appear in normal life since many countries have adopted them on their flags, coins, statues, and other decorations.

Why choose dragons when I could have just as easily wrote about shape-shifting wolves or cheetahs? We know wolves and big cats are real animals, and people would most likely relate to them more than to dragons, but I like that dragons are naturally surrounded by mystery. Who are we to say they do not exist? This possibility intrigued me. Unicorns give me the same warm feelings, since I love horses, but I focused on dragons. Maybe a story filled with unicorns will pop into my head next!

DRAGON Bites, my collection of several Scottish dragon tales, includes Dragon’s Curse, the story of Draco and Brianna. I searched maps and the internet for an island that would suit my story. When I came across a video of Staffa, near the island of Mull, I saw a huge cave. This cave has been the subject of paintings, and I immediately felt it would be the perfect place for my hero to hide when in his dragon form.

In Southern Fried Dragon, I chose my story’s setting after I visited Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, down in coastal South Carolina. Why couldn’t my heroine be a Scottish dragon looking for love among a fort filled with soldiers while hiding from a rogue dragon?

While researching stories about dragons for these stories, I came across a listing of Loch Ness. Folk lore says that the Loch Ness monster is a dragon? I was very surprised since I always thought it might be a trapped dinosaur. The idea formed into my award-winning short story, Dragon in the Mist. All three of these stories are available individually in ebook form, but I recently bundled them into one book that is also available in print.   

You can find more about dragons in books such as:
DRAGONS by Jonathan Evans 

You can find information on dragons at websites such as:

BOOK BLURB: Dragon Bites
This is a collection of three novellas. DRAGON’S CURSE, set on the Scottish island of Staffa in the late 16th century, features a young man cursed to transform into dragon at inopportune times and the woman he protects. SOUTHERN FRIED DRAGON pairs a Scottish dragon-turned woman and a federal soldier at Ft. Sumter on the eve of Civil War. DRAGON IN THE MIST is a contemporary love story on the shores of Loch Ness.

More About Nancy Lee Badger
She loves chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.  

Connect with Nancy:
Blog                                
Website                          
Twitter                           
Facebook                       
Goodreads                       

DRAGON Bites, a 3book Collection of Dragon Tales
Amazon Ebook      
Amazon Print          
NOOK Ebook         
B&N Print               
Smashwords            
iTunes                     


WIN your own piece of dragon art: Nancy is giving away this beautiful double-sided window sticker created by Jen Delyth to one person who leaves a comment. Please include your contact info. Winner will be chosen Friday Oct. 18th.

6 comments:

Mickey said...

Keep up these wonderful, informative discussions of dragons and their mythical status. I am sitting down tonight and reading your latest book, Dragon Bites.

Helen Henderson said...

Thanks for sharing the research on dragons. Helen

Emily said...

Loved the wonderful post on dragons. I love dragons, and I think there may be some hiding out there somewhere...

tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

Nancy Lee Badger said...

Who is to say there isn't a dragon hidden away on some forgotten island or corner of our world? Like you Emily, I am hopeful, and a bit of the romantic.

BlondieNKF said...

I love dragons too... especially if they are hot shapeshifter dragons.. yummy!
Nikola
nformby1216@gmail.com

Eliza Knight said...

Thanks everyone for entering the contest!!! The winner is... BlondieNKF!