So, what does that mean? Well, each day, I'm going to tell you about a dragon - a dragon inspired by a name that I generated randomly using a name generator (I haven't looked up the derivation of any of these names, I have just run with how they make me feel, their sound on the tongue).
I'll tell you all about my Dragon of the Day, and share some flash fic about their lives. Any genre, any character, any look - prepare to be surprised and (I hope) entertained by my dragonly inspirations :).
~
is for Valentin
It’s tough being a Love Dragon when you just don’t feel the cupid groove. Valentin had tried really hard when his scales had turned the burnished red that set him apart from the crowd: he had gone to cupid school and learnt how to breath the fire of passion instead of his normal fire; he’d spent months practising how to read compatibility auras; he’d even changed his name by deed poll to Valentin from Bob, which had been, frankly, inappropriate for his new role.
We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.
We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.
I'll tell you all about my Dragon of the Day, and share some flash fic about their lives. Any genre, any character, any look - prepare to be surprised and (I hope) entertained by my dragonly inspirations :).
~
~
is for ValentinIt’s tough being a Love Dragon when you just don’t feel the cupid groove. Valentin had tried really hard when his scales had turned the burnished red that set him apart from the crowd: he had gone to cupid school and learnt how to breath the fire of passion instead of his normal fire; he’d spent months practising how to read compatibility auras; he’d even changed his name by deed poll to Valentin from Bob, which had been, frankly, inappropriate for his new role.
~
A Little Encouragement
| Wittegen Press |
 |
| FREE Amazon | Other |
Valentin plodded into the smokey bar, found a mat in a dark corner, turned around a couple of times and then flopped down onto it. He put his head on his claws and huffed out his despair.
"'allo, Bob,” Mick the bardragon greeted as he plodded over,
“It’s Valentin,” he moaned back.
“Nah, you ain’t that poncy, mate,” Mick sniffed and then snorted smoke for good measure.
“Flaming sambuca,” Valentin ignored his friend, who just shrugged, turned round and shuffled his saggy arse back to the bar.
Valentin was going to sulk some more, but another voice slipped warmly into his ear and made him sit up straighter.
“Hello, lovely.”
Honey Seeker sunk gracefully down beside Valentin, her beautiful rose and red scales making the bar look even scruffier. She nodded at Valentin and slowly blinked her greeting. He swallowed hard at his ex-tutor, because her aura was such that she never failed to raise his pulse.
“Teething problems with the posting?” she carried on softly, but in a way that made him want to answer.
“More like a root canal,” he replied despondently, shaking his head and staring at the matting that had seen better days. “I was meant to be inspiring the first flush of young love in this human girl over in Greenwich, and I made myself invisible, I walked up to her when she was chatting with the boy of her dreams, at least, that’s what I thought her aura was saying, and I blew the passion fire over them both.” He heaved in a sigh. “She hiccuped, he looked like he was going to pass out and then his boyfriend came dashing over to catch him. It was all a big mess.”
Honey chuckled smoothly and made Valentin look up at her. She was waggling her head as she reassured, “If you got it wrong, the effect would only last a few minutes, no harm done.”
“But-,” Valetin was going to object, but that’s when a flaming sambuca in a metal bucket was dumped in front of him.
Mick grunted at him and then placed a smaller, shallower bowl of something bubbly down before Honey.
“Thanks Mick,” she said for both of them and the bardragon wandered off to other parts of his pub.
“It’s like that all the time, though,” Valentin carried on where he had left off and he knew he was whining, but it had been a long day of similar disasters. “I don’t think I can read people at all. Even my name’s fake.”
Honey didn’t say anything immediately, and when Valentin looked up from his doldrums, she was regarding him closely. He could see the thought behind her eyes, and so he just waited.
“I’m going to tell you a secret and this is just between you and me,” she leant in and whispered silkily.
Valentin nodded sincerely.
“My name was Mildred Tumblebee,” Honey told him simply. “I changed it when I was a trainee like you.”
Valentin’s jaw slackened as the confidence hit home. He had no idea what to say to the best Love Dragon he had ever known admitting to not being perfect.
“And it didn’t help me one iota,” she carried on, shaking her crest and laughing before she settled and explained, “What helped me was practice. It took time for me to master all the skills and I made mistakes just like you.”
Valentin found himself shaking his head as that idea did not compute.
“Oh yes,” she replied. “So get back out there and keep on practising.”
Valentin stood up, now un-flaming sambuca forgotten.
“You think I can?” he checked, because he was still unsure.
“Bet my wings on it,” Honey nodded firmly. “Off with you.”
Valentin snorted a little smoke, he couldn’t help it as the secret gave him a little more faith in himself.
“Okay,” he agreed, and Honey blinked encouragingly.
Puffing himself up, he turned to the door and, with a final nod of thanks to Honey, he strode out to try again.
Honey watched her young student head towards the door, but turned to look at Mick as he sat down beside her, slurping up the abandoned sambuca. When he had finished, he sucked the remaining liquid through his teeth and then checked, “You give that one the Mildred phooey?”
“He just needed a little reassurance,” Honey replied, shrugging her wings.
“You think that one is gonna make it then?” Mick carried on with offhand curiosity.
“In a few years, about the time he decides Bob is a good enough name, then he’ll be a good cupid,” Honey nodded.
“I keep telling him Valentin’s a poncy name,” Mick finished and then burped.
"'allo, Bob,” Mick the bardragon greeted as he plodded over,
“It’s Valentin,” he moaned back.
“Nah, you ain’t that poncy, mate,” Mick sniffed and then snorted smoke for good measure.
“Flaming sambuca,” Valentin ignored his friend, who just shrugged, turned round and shuffled his saggy arse back to the bar.
Valentin was going to sulk some more, but another voice slipped warmly into his ear and made him sit up straighter.
“Hello, lovely.”
Honey Seeker sunk gracefully down beside Valentin, her beautiful rose and red scales making the bar look even scruffier. She nodded at Valentin and slowly blinked her greeting. He swallowed hard at his ex-tutor, because her aura was such that she never failed to raise his pulse.
“Teething problems with the posting?” she carried on softly, but in a way that made him want to answer.
“More like a root canal,” he replied despondently, shaking his head and staring at the matting that had seen better days. “I was meant to be inspiring the first flush of young love in this human girl over in Greenwich, and I made myself invisible, I walked up to her when she was chatting with the boy of her dreams, at least, that’s what I thought her aura was saying, and I blew the passion fire over them both.” He heaved in a sigh. “She hiccuped, he looked like he was going to pass out and then his boyfriend came dashing over to catch him. It was all a big mess.”
Honey chuckled smoothly and made Valentin look up at her. She was waggling her head as she reassured, “If you got it wrong, the effect would only last a few minutes, no harm done.”
“But-,” Valetin was going to object, but that’s when a flaming sambuca in a metal bucket was dumped in front of him.
Mick grunted at him and then placed a smaller, shallower bowl of something bubbly down before Honey.
“Thanks Mick,” she said for both of them and the bardragon wandered off to other parts of his pub.
“It’s like that all the time, though,” Valentin carried on where he had left off and he knew he was whining, but it had been a long day of similar disasters. “I don’t think I can read people at all. Even my name’s fake.”
Honey didn’t say anything immediately, and when Valentin looked up from his doldrums, she was regarding him closely. He could see the thought behind her eyes, and so he just waited.
“I’m going to tell you a secret and this is just between you and me,” she leant in and whispered silkily.
Valentin nodded sincerely.
“My name was Mildred Tumblebee,” Honey told him simply. “I changed it when I was a trainee like you.”
Valentin’s jaw slackened as the confidence hit home. He had no idea what to say to the best Love Dragon he had ever known admitting to not being perfect.
“And it didn’t help me one iota,” she carried on, shaking her crest and laughing before she settled and explained, “What helped me was practice. It took time for me to master all the skills and I made mistakes just like you.”
Valentin found himself shaking his head as that idea did not compute.
“Oh yes,” she replied. “So get back out there and keep on practising.”
Valentin stood up, now un-flaming sambuca forgotten.
“You think I can?” he checked, because he was still unsure.
“Bet my wings on it,” Honey nodded firmly. “Off with you.”
Valentin snorted a little smoke, he couldn’t help it as the secret gave him a little more faith in himself.
“Okay,” he agreed, and Honey blinked encouragingly.
Puffing himself up, he turned to the door and, with a final nod of thanks to Honey, he strode out to try again.
*
Honey watched her young student head towards the door, but turned to look at Mick as he sat down beside her, slurping up the abandoned sambuca. When he had finished, he sucked the remaining liquid through his teeth and then checked, “You give that one the Mildred phooey?”
“He just needed a little reassurance,” Honey replied, shrugging her wings.
“You think that one is gonna make it then?” Mick carried on with offhand curiosity.
“In a few years, about the time he decides Bob is a good enough name, then he’ll be a good cupid,” Honey nodded.
“I keep telling him Valentin’s a poncy name,” Mick finished and then burped.
~
We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.
Hi Sophie - good for Valentin believing he can 'do it' ... he'll be fine just as Mildred says ... and that bar is there for them to meet up on occasions ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeletehttp://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/v-is-for-vaynol-cattle.html
Yes, and Mick will keep them down to earth if nothing else :)
DeleteI love this one! Bob the Love Dragon! And I have no idea what a flaming sambuca is, but it sounds perfect for Bob/Valentin. ;)
ReplyDeleteA to Z 2017: Magical and Medicinal Herbs
Good call on the name change. A reluctant love dragon learning out to ignite the fires of passion, I like it.
ReplyDeleteDiscarded Darlings - Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
I'm all for Bob the Love Dragon. Once again, I want to hear the rest of his story... :D
ReplyDeleteThe Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales
Love dragons - that's a new one! Maybe he'd do better as plain old Bob. He's trying too hard.
ReplyDelete