I've always loved history. I read lots of history books, especially about WWII, the American Civil War, ancient Roman, Egyptian, and British cultures, as well as political history. Much of that interest drives what I write.
Now with the Dragon series, I wanted to be able to write about some critical moments during WWII, but from the eyes of a teenager living in England. It helps to have a dragon who can cloak himself and fly all over the place, but it still needed to be events that shaped the outcome.
In Secret of the Dragon's Breath, it turns out to be the Sinking of the Bismarck, the mighty German battleship. Conducting extensive research, I crafted a simplified version of the historical battle at sea, hoping to entertain, as well as inform.
I also wanted to set the stage for the next critical incident for the next book, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the vicious Nazi henchman terrorizing innocent Jews throughout eastern Europe.
Remember, I'm writing for all ages, and while I want to present historical accuracy, I don't want to bore my readers either. In the middle of this terrible war is a dragon and three teenagers, who see things from their perspective, which centers on rationing, interrupted schooling, no fathers or brothers, because the men are all in uniform. Perhaps this is something the typical teenager can't relate to readily, but I feel obligated to try.
Without diminishing the courage and sacrifice of the generation who fought and died during WWII, I insert a little dragon intervention into the story, because it fits into certain mysterious or unexplained hiccups in much of what unfolded during those days. That way the reader knows what happened, with a little assistance from a dragon.
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battleship Bismarck, Roman, British, Egyptian, American Civil War, Reinhard Heydrich, rationing
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