The Royal Order of Fighting Dragons by Dan Elish blitz & Giveaway! [Ends 8/23/18]

Book Details:
The Royal Order of Fighting Dragons  by Dan Elish 
Published by: Vesuvian Books  | Publication date: August 7th 2018
Genres: Middle-Grade, Urban Fantasy
Synopsis:Born To Fight?
Ike Rupert Hollingsberry is haunted by the past because complete strangers won’t let him forget when his famous father died on the set of The Fighting Dragons, a cult favorite that still has people talking.
But when he’s attacked by a large locust, like the one that killed his dad, Ike is helped by the geekiest nerd of all, Elmira Hand.
Killing the giant locust was only the beginning of the surprises in store for Ike as he is whisked away from New York City to an isolated Florida compound to assume his role as the next in line to lead the Royal Order of the Fighting Dragons—that are NOT supposed to exist—and learns his dad’s death was a cover-up for a far greater purpose…
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“… destined to be a kid-pleasing classic. Readers will be captivated as Ike is drawn into the mysterious and dangerous world … I dare any fan of Harry Potter, Roald Dahl, Wonder Woman, Superman—any rollicking adventure story—to pick up The Royal Order of Fighting Dragons and not get hooked.
~Deborah Heiligman, Award-winning author of Vincent and Theo

Potential Scene Three (743 words)
Ike laughed. Leave it to Elmira to get in the last word. For soon, Ike had the great creature back in the sky. When he looked over his shoulder, Ike saw his three Order-mates finally sprinting toward their respective dragons, climbing three separate ladders. Alexandro was the next to get his into the air, zooming straight up on Kansas City. A moment later, Elmira on Seattle, and Lucinda on Pittsburgh, took off at the exactly same time. Soon the four dragons were flying in formation, close enough for the kids to shout back and forth.
“I love this,” Alexandro cried. “Even easier than riding a lion.”
“You never rode that lion,” Lucinda said.
“Did too. I’ll show you the pictures later.”
“I never realized the force of the wind would be so strong,” Elmira yelled. “The G forces must be close to five hundred and forty.”
The best was yet to come. To his left, Ike saw Alexandro give Kansas City a small pinch. The dragon released a blast of fire that left a trail of smoke one hundred feet long. Ike smiled. What was he waiting for? He gave Detroit a pinch of his own and the dragon let loose a whoosh of flame that spiraled a good two hundred feet into the sky. As the fire blew out of his mouth, the beast jolted forward so powerfully Ike had to squeeze hard with his legs to keep from falling off.
“Yee-haw,” Ike cried.
“Quite a kickback, eh?” Alexandro yelled.
“Sure is,” Ike called.
“Take that, locusts!” Lucinda exclaimed.
Again, Pittsburgh proved female dragons were every bit as powerful as their male counterparts, letting fly a gust of flame that spiraled out a good two hundred feet in no more than two seconds.
Finally, it was Seattle’s turn.
“Death to the bugs,” Elmira called.
With a powerful whoosh, her dragon proved that he had the goods as well.
“Who is the best Order, eh?” Alexandro cried, whooshing by Ike.
“The Tenth Order,” Ike replied.
“You’re bloody well right it is.”
Ike laughed. The next thing he knew, the dragons were swooping this way and that, weaving in and out and around each other, flaming at anything and everything.
Suddenly there was a stealth military helicopter flying soundlessly by their side. A soldier was at the controls and another was leaning out the side with a camera.
“Hey,” he called to Ike. “Over here.”
Ike grinned widely. Holding the reins with one hand, he reached for his sword and pressed the button, exposing the blade and waving it over his head.
“I love it,” the photographer yelled.
Suddenly, Ike loved it, too. All of it. The dragons. His new friends. The thrill of standing up for himself as the rightful leader. Even the prospect of being on TV. Being “the next in line” wasn’t half bad. He retracted the sword’s blade, tucked it back in his belt, and swooped below the helicopter as the dragon let loose a thunderous blast of fire. Once he had gotten his shot, the cameraman gave Ike a thumbs up but then pointed back toward the Order.
Ike looked back over his shoulder. These dragons were even faster than he thought. After what had felt like a short ride, the Order was already a distant dot of green in the middle of a vast swath of brown. The cameraman held up six fingers. Ike understood. At the six mile radius of the no-radar zone, he tugged on the left rein, bringing the dragon on a slow arc back toward the Order.
But there was a problem. Kansas City and Pittsburgh hadn’t gotten the message. Instead of slowing down to turn back, the two dragons thundered forward, gaining speed.
“You think you can outrace me, mi compadre, eh?”
“Sure do, mate,” Lucinda cried. She was holding onto her hat with one hand and the reins with the other. “This dragon of mine’s got raw power.”
“Raw power? Your dragon? He is slower than my nonna—and she uses a walker.”
“Pittsburgh is a she. And she’ll destroy your mangy beast any day of the week.”
“Hey,” Ike yelled. “Stop.”
In a blur of light lavender and dark red, Kansas City and then Pittsburgh rocketed by.
“Wait. The no-radar zone.”
It was too late. Before Ike could stop him, Detroit had wheeled around. Flapping his mighty wings like mad, he accelerated rapidly away from the Order.
The race was on.

AUTHOR BIO:
Dan Elish is the author of nine novels, including The School for the Insanely Gifted, BORN TOO SHORT: The Confessions of an Eighth-Grade Basket Case, an International Reading Association Students’ Choice Award Recipient (Simon & Schuster), the book for the Broadway musical13, slated to be a movie by CBS Films, and The Worldwide Dessert Contest, which was recently optioned for TV. In addition, Dan is a writer of TV shows like PBS’s Cyberchase.

Dan has received fellowships and scholarships to the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences and is represented by Matt Bialer at Greenburger Associates. He lives in New York with his wife and children.
Author Links: Website | Goodreads |

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