GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Pros and Cons of Owning a Water Dragon- guest post M. R. Merrick + giveaway | I Smell Sheep

Friday, April 26, 2013

Pros and Cons of Owning a Water Dragon- guest post M. R. Merrick + giveaway

Today we have M. R. Merrick, Canadian YA fantasy author of The Protector series. The 4th and last book in this series, Endure releases June 5th so now is the time to catch up and to make it even easier the first book Exiled is free right now for the kindle. 

Ever thought owning a water dragon would be a dream come true? You might want to read what M.R. has to say about his experiences before you buy especially if you love your cereal...

Pros and Cons of Owning a Water Dragon 

“When given the opportunity to do something incredible, you must. You must reach out and grab that chance before it escapes you forever. Otherwise, you could miss out on a grand adventure that will change your life.”

You know who says things like that? People trying to sell you something. And it works. At least it did for me. But I can’t blame everything on those words. Given the chance to own a dragon of any kind, let alone a water dragon, is an offer you don’t pass on. Especially for a hundred bucks!

Things were great in the beginning. She was sweet, charming, and loved to snuggle. We took walks, watched scary movies, and played catch. We were always together. She took care of herself then. Her blue and red scales used to sparkle and her fiery red eyes lit up every time I walked in the door. Back then, she really made an effort to clean up after herself too. After just six months though, the magic had already vanished. The honeymoon was over. She took over my bed, my bathtub, my couch, and worst of all, my cereal cupboard.

I can deal with water all over the floor, and to be honest, if a six-month-old, hundred and sixty pound water dragon doesn’t want to pounce me when I first come home from work, I’m okay with that. But when I buy eight boxes of Fruity Pebbles on Sunday, and their gone when I get home from work on Monday, that’s where I draw the line.

I thought I’d be living in a fantasy world. I had a gorgeous baby dragon that would one day grow up into a magnificent beast that could take me on adventures around the world. I would be a dragon rider! Maybe I could even quit my day job. Surely we could make enough money offering photo opportunities or short flights to spend our days together. Life would be amazing!

That fantasy was quickly destroyed not only by her devouring efforts of my cereal, but her sheer laziness. She sits on the couch all day long, in MY spot. There’s now a permanent scaly dent in the cushion. Even if I do get my spot, the enjoyment has been stolen. The cushion is flat, and white fluff shoots from the side each time I try to sit down. She uses my toothbrush on a regular basis. She has absolutely no respect for personal space, or hygiene products. She doesn’t flush after she goes to the bathroom, and at only five feet long, manages to take up an entire king size bed.

I was under the impression that owning a water dragon would be an adventure, not a chore. She’s worse than a child. She talks back to me when she’s angry, she slams the doors, reads my journal when I’m at work, and just last week I told her she had to start sleeping in a different room. I’d gone an entire week with only three hours sleep because of her tossing and turning. Her response was to pee on my bed. If you’ve never seen the result of a water dragon who has released their bladder, think what it’s like to be inside a wave pool.

And now, even if I wanted to, I can’t take her back. The old man that laughed as I carried the cage from the store is gone. There’s a fitness and vitamin store there now, and they look at me like I’m crazy whenever I ask about the previous tenant. Maybe I could sell her, I thought. Nope. Apparently water dragons have the ability to make themselves invisible. Any potential buyers just end up at my house thinking I’m an unstable slob luring them to their doom. It’s resulted in two restraining orders and a written police warning.

*sigh*

I have to admit, the entire time I’ve had her hasn’t been all bad though. I once had a pair of burglars try to break into my house and when my act of defense failed, she ate them. My neighbor, regardless of my complaints, used to park his car in front of my house and block my driveway. I almost lost my job for constantly being late. Dragon finally got upset enough for the both of us and tore the tires off his car. She didn’t like the idea of me not being able to buy her Fruity Pebbles anymore. And when she’s not being horrendous, she still manages to be cute…on occasion. Just last night, she had a nightmare and crawled into my bed. It was the first time in months I let her sleep with me in bed and she didn’t swat me out with her tail. We even endured the night without her claws tearing into my new mattress. And she does have that cute smile when she knows she’s made a mistake…

Now that I think about it. Maybe this is just a phase. She’ll grow out of all this destruction eventually. She just needs more attention, and I need to spend more time showing her things. I have some money and vacation time saved up, maybe what she needs is to get away. The two of us could go somewhere nice together. This is just a phase and the best is yet to come, I know it. I don’t want to miss out on some kind of grand adventure. Every day with her is a new adventure all by itself. After all, it’s not every day you get the chance to own a dragon, let alone a water dragon!




Protector Book 1: Exiled
currently free for kindle!
Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase’s birthday, the bloodline stopped.

Exiled without the Circle’s protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle’s agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can’t do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna – a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle’s plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other’s life depending on it.




Devastated by a terrible loss, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn’t understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’s something else—a monster threatening to tear her apart.

As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.


After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made – especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past – sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight
.

Protector Book 4: Endure
Cover and Synopsis coming May 1st 2013
Available for purchase via all online retailers June 5th 2013


About the Author: 
website-fb-twitter-blog
M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer and author of The Protector Series, a Young Adult mash-up between Urban and Epic Fantasy. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.



Giveaway
an ecopy of The Protector Book 3: Release to one winner

a Rafflecopter giveaway

14 comments:

  1. I would name her Misty or Coventina.
    debby236@gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would name her Ashley.

    trynadad71@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would name her Scarlett Red!!! Don't ask me why. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh - like the Myst idea and Mystique
    Pygmalia is my contribution

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oceania.
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    mestith at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the awesome post! Sally... just cuz :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would name her Aphrodite. Thanks for the giveaway!
    bhometchko@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would name her Chrystal as she will sparkle in the sun with the drops of water shine off her beautiful scales when she emerges from the water :) Thanks for sharing with us. There are ways to get a little more collaboration from her regarding the household rules and etiquette, tell her she is beautiful and I think it just might be worth a little cereal having her around knowing the burglars were turned to chum.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think Patience would be a good name and a reminder for both of them to have some.
    Bonnie Hilligoss/bonhill@speakeasy.net

    ReplyDelete