Welcome to my worlds!

I'm James Maxey, author of fantasy and science fiction. My novels include the science fantasy Bitterwood Saga (4 books) the Dragon Apocalypse Saga (4 books), numerous superhero novels including Nobody Gets the Girl and the Lawless series, the steampunk Oz sequel Bad Wizard, and my short story collections, There is No Wheel and Jagged Gate. This website is focused exclusively on writing. At my second blog, Jawbone of an Ass, I ramble through any random topic that springs to mind, occasionally touching on religion and politics and other subjects polite people are sensible enough not to discuss in public. If you'd like to get monthly updates on new releases, as well as preview chapters and free short stories, join my newsletter!




Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Our first winner, and a terrific poem

I have employed the services of Robo-Bobo, a monkey with a robot arms, to serve as my name drawer. And, digging deep into the had, Robo-Bobo has produced the name.... (drumroll, please)....
Mike Barker!
I'll be emailing Mike to let him know he's won, and sending him a copy of Dragonforge once I find out his address.

Mike didn't submit a poem or drawing, but many of you did. Keep them coming! I've gotten poems, drawings, and at least one recipe, and will be displaying the best of these over the coming weeks. If I use your poem or drawing, I'll send you a Dragonforge button, whether or not your name comes up as a winner.

To kick things off, here's a fine poem by Kimberly Bea. Not surprisingly, Kimberly has seen her poetry published before, in the book Nothing But Red. All sales of this book support the charity Equality Now.

Breathing Smoke

When I was five years old
And waiting for the bus one day,
The weather very cold,
I saw steam rising from my lips
With every breath I took.
To my youthful mind
The reason was quite clear:
Dragons breathe fire
And I was breathing smoke;
I must be half a dragon.
It made a lot of sense:
Dragons don't play catch too well,
With such enormous claws,
Or win at hide and seek.
(At least, that's my excuse!)
So I waited for my scales to show
And kept checking my shoulders for wings.
Much later I was told
That steam, not smoke, poured from my lips
Because the air was cold
(And humid: something about dew points
And other scientific stuff).
It happens to everyone
Caught outside on chilly days.
So now I knew the truth. . . .
(There are half dragons all around!)

No comments: