As a writer, as a person, I believe in hope and goodness. I believe that for every evil, rotten thing humans do to one another, they are capable of incredible kindness and sensitivity. I write these stories to inspire kindness, to foster a belief in equality, to promote tolerance and coexistence. Because we have to hedge our bets on the positive side. We have to promote and advertise the good.…

The fighters in my books are all fighting trim, no extra flesh. Some of the mates are more rounded, less lean, but they all get out and about and let’s face it, flying can be vigorous exercise. But some of the visitors are packing a few extra rolls of flesh, complicating their movements and health. Not that sitting still is bad for a dragon and weight doesn’t pack on with…

Aside from the endless supplies of teas, all of my books have a focus on food prep, cooking food, serving food, and eating food. That is not an accident or due to my own obsession. Our understanding of culture is often wrapped up in food and customs around food. Think of how we put ethnic labels on food and identify groups of people with certain foods. One of the things…