Gate of Air
Resa Nelson
(Dragon Gods, #1)
Publication date: June 19th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Frayka must find and convince the dragon gods of the Far East to appease the gods of her Northland heritage. If she fails, her own Northlander gods will destroy all the mortals who once promised to worship them.
The Far East is a mysterious place of legend to Northlanders like Frayka. Only an old map can show her how to get there. Once she arrives, all of Frayka’s sensibilities put her in danger. And every dangerous turn delays her from finding the dragon gods whose help she so desperately needs.
Although Frayka looks like a Far Easterner, she is a powerful Northlander warrior who is quick to voice her thoughts. She is trained to fight and won’t hesitate to do so.
But everything about Frayka puts her in deadly peril in the Far East, where the laws are strict and the punishment cruel.
Especially when the one being punished is a woman.
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Interview:

1. Do you ever judge books by covers?
Yes. I have a few books I’ve never read, and I bought the books because I love the covers. On the other hand, if a cover turns me off, I probably won’t buy the book.
2. In your opinion, is the cover, synopsis, or content of a book most important and why?
For me, the content of the book is the most important, because the content is what creates the experience for the reader. And that’s what matters to me as an author and a reader – the experience that you get by reading a book.
The cover and synopsis are important only when it comes to convincing someone to download or buy the book, so they’re just sales tools.
3. If you could live in any mythical universe other than your own, which would it be?
If Atlantis existed, I’d like to go back in time and live in Atlantis.
4. Where do you go when you need to be alone?
I’m a walker and a swimmer, so I’ll either go walking or swimming.
5. What inspired Gate of Air?
Gate of Air belongs to the epic fantasy world of my Dragon Cycle, which is a collection of series that are related to each other. Gate of Air is Book 1 in the Dragon Gods series, which is Series #3. My intent is that anyone should be able to read any series independent of the rest of the cycle and enjoy and understand that series. But for the best experience, I recommend reading each series in order. Book 1 in Series 1 is currently free on Amazon.
While I was writing Series #2, a high school student contacted me and asked why it seems like all heroines in fantasy are blond. We began a conversation, and that made me want to write a series featuring a woman with Asian heritage.
Also, my characters live in a fantasy world inspired by the Norse/Viking culture, but the dragons are both European and Asian in nature. I decided to explore the reason for the presence of both types of dragons in the Dragon Gods series.
6. Do you like reading books which cover many real world issues?
Yes, very much so. I read The Handmaid’s Tale when it was first published, and it terrified me because it felt like something that could really happen.
Some of the best books I’ve read include 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, and Fahrenheit 451. I have a degree in sociology and think of these books as sociological novels. There’s one more series that I want to write in my Dragon Cycle, and once I complete that series my goal is to start writing sociological novels.
7. Fantasy or reality?
It depends. Most of time, reality. But if I’m having a hard day, fantasy.
8. Day or night?
Definitely day. I’m wired to the sun and wake up just before dawn whether I want to or not. I used to fight it, but I’ve learned that life is easier when I embrace getting out of bed with the sunrise.
9. Favourite place to write?
It really doesn’t matter. I’ve done some of my best work writing while riding on the commuter train or in the waiting room waiting for my car to be fixed or in an airplane terminal waiting for my flight.
10. A fact about you readers may find surprising?
To research my first series, I took a course in blacksmithing. I later found out that I come from a long line of blacksmiths. One of my ancestors even had the middle name “Hammer.” The main character in my first series is a female blacksmith. I can’t help but wonder if I created her because of my genes.

Author Bio: Resa Nelson is the author of the 4-book Dragonslayer series: The Dragonslayer’s Sword (nominated for the Nebula Award, finalist for the EPPIE Award), The Iron Maiden , The Stone of Darkness , and The Dragon's Egg . Her 4-book Dragonfly series takes place after the Dragonslayer series.
Her standalone novels include the mystery/thrillers All Of Us Were Sophie and Our Lady of the Absolute .
Resa has been selling short stories professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and she is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years as well as a regular contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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