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I began writing young adult fantasy in 2005 with the intent of writing a book about dragons for my oldest son, now 18. As I began writing "Dragon's Blood", I had only a vague idea of where I was going with the story, and after a time I realized I had ventured from my intentional literary path of delving into a fantastical world of dragons instead into an adventure about four children who found themselves lost in a cave literally fighting for their lives. I'm in the middle of writing book 3 in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicle series as we speak (expected release date Spring 2008), of which there will be at least 5 books, maybe more, depending on how sidetracked I get between here and the grand finale!

I've learned a lot during my personal writing journey, along with one very important fact. Initially I wrote for my son, in hopes of publishing a book he would be interested in reading. Now, although I still write for my children to show them that you can do anything you put your mind to, I've found that I write for all young adults. Having one of my three children barely interested in reading, I decided I want to make a difference.

So, in a nutshell, I'm writing in hopes of providing children with interesting reading material, something that will possibly lead them down the wonderful and enlightening path to a lifetime of reading...

I'm writing for children like (then) 11-year old Emily, who came to one of my book signings at Borders in Simsbury, carrying a ragged and tattered copy of Dragon's Blood, dancing with excitement because she got to meet me, especially when I signed the book she so loved that day. When I told her I had the newly released Book Two "The Prisoner" with me, she danced even more in a poor attempt to control her happiness.

To Mikayla, a young reader and fan in Wallingford, CT, who, in her grandfather's words, "loved Dragon's Blood moreso than Harry Potter". Mikayla, I hope you're enjoying The Prisoner even moreso than Dragon's Blood!

Examples like this are why I'm writing.

As adults, we understand we will learn many lessons as we journey from childhood to adulthood, and reading by far should be one of the most important ones. If one can't read, one struggles to find a job, understand a menu, follow directions to a party, or enjoy a book which could open up doorways to otherwise unimaginable places.

You're never too young to start reading, and never too old to KEEP reading, just as we are never too old to learn (no matter what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks!)

Reading IS the doorway to the future!

For more info about my books, please visit my website, www.mjallaire.com.

Best wishes and happy reading!

MJ Allaire

I began writing young adult fantasy in 2005 with the intent of writing a book about dragons for my oldest son, now 18. As I began writing "Dragon's Blood", I had only a vague idea of where I was going with the story, and after a time I realized I had ventured from my intentional literary path of delving into a fantastical world of dragons instead into an adventure about four children who found th... More