Today's guest is Dan Rice author of Young Adult Fantasy

Happy Saturday, Campers. I'm so glad you joined me today. I've been a busy girl. Retiremant happened and now hubby and I are traveling the south east after the Florida West Coast Writers conference. I met so many lovely and talented people including a fan-girl moment with CL Wilson. She signed a copy of Lord of the Fading Lands for me. That's not all! I scored to copies of Roni Denholtz Deerbourne Inn novellas AND Shirley Goldbergs latest, Eat Your Heart Out. As of this campfire DH and I are in the Peach State and I have Georgia on my mind. I a few days I'll be heading up the coast to South Carolina. If you are interested in my daily Video log I'm on Tik Tok at @dvstoneauthor. Now onto the Campfire and todays guest Dan Rice. He's new to camp so help me welcome him.

Hello fellow camper. How are you Dan, and what can I get for you? 
Coffee, black. I do most of my writing before anyone else in the household wakes up, so I drink the black brew by the pot!
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An early bird, huh? Not me. I'm a non functioning human until the 2nd cup and then there may be a cohesive though in my head. I hear you are a camper?  
Oh, yes, my family does love the outdoors. When we go camping, we use a tent. We started camping regularly when my first son was still a wee lad. That was put on hold when number two son came along. I've been camping with both my sons individually, but I have yet to be brave enough to take them out together since they tend not to mind their father and have a penchant for a bit of the old ultraviolence.

Tell us about your latest project. I'm excited to hear about it because I adore Dragons.
My latest project is the sequel to my debut Dragons Walk Among Us. Like its predecessor, it’s a YA urban fantasy. The story will follow Allison Lee and her squad on further adventures of self-discovery while protecting the world from supernatural entities. If everything goes to plan, I’ll have the manuscript turned in to my publisher by December this year.

What else are you  working on? 
I have other works that I was banging away on before Dragons Walk Among Us was picked up by The Wild Rose Press. For now, I’ve set those stories aside to concentrate on telling Allison Lee’s complete story. I might return to those other tales at a future date or not. Right now, I’m having too much fun writing about Allison and her squad to enter those other story worlds.

Do you have a tagline or life motto?
Hard work pays off! That’s what my wife and I tell our sons. In my life, Dragons Walk Among Us is the ultimate proof of this motto.

Who are your inspirations for writing? Or would you like to give a shout-out to anyone or their books?
I have tons of different inspirations. If I had to choose just one, its Frank Herbert’s novel Dune. I think I was 11 when I first read this book. I knew from that first reading that I needed to be a writer.

Do you have any advice for other authors?
Find a routine and stick to it whenever possible, but remember to remain flexible. If you have a family with young children, flexibility is a must, or you will drive yourself insane.

Now the fun questions. 
If they made a movie about your life, what would the title be, and who would play you? My significant other is a big fan of Keanu Reeves, so I pick him.
What is your favorite mug or teacup?
My absolutely favorite mug is from Hawaii. It features a pig on a surfboard with the line no coffee no workee.

Favorite childhood book? Or writing that inspired you to become an author.
As a young child, I remember my mother reading the Black Stallion series to me. I absolutely adored those books for a few years. I don't know if we finished the series before I outgrew it, but we came close.

If you could time travel, where would you go and when? Why?
I probably would travel back to the middle ages to a castle somewhere in Europe. I've always been taken by the romanticism of knights and mighty castles.

Would you rather have unlimited international first-class tickets or never have to pay for food at restaurants?
First class tickets please! My family loves to travel, both domestically and internationally. Favorite destinations include Hawaii and Southeast Asia.

What subjects should be taught in school, but aren’t?
I think foreign languages and computer programming should be taught in elementary school. I have nieces and nephews in Southeast Asia who can speak several languages fluently. They began language instruction in elementary school. Having a fundamental understanding of computers and the programs that run on them is becoming more and more important in our society. Teaching children the fundamentals at a young age will set them up for future success.

Dan, thank you for spending time with us at the fire. Could you leave us a bit more about your book and where to find you?

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​Dragons Walk Among Us
by 
Dan Rice
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Shutterbug Allison Lee is trying to survive high school while suffering the popular girl's abuse. Her life is often abysmal, but at least her green hair is savage. Her talent for photography is recognized by the school paper and the judges of a photo contest.
While visiting her friend Joe, a homeless vet, Allison's life irrevocably changes after an attack leaves her blind. All her dreams as a photojournalist are dashed as she realizes she'll never see again. Despair sets in until she is offered an experimental procedure to restore her vision. But there are side effects, or are they hallucinations? She now sees dragons accompanying some of the people she meets. Can she trust her eyes, or has the procedure affected her more than she can see?
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0951NLKCK
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragons-walk-among-us-dan-rice/1139530393?ean=2940162168041 
https://books.apple.com/us/book/dragons-walk-among-us/id1567778944 

More about Dan
My name is Dan. I've wanted to write novels since first reading Frank Herbert’s Dune at the age of eleven. As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I often go hiking with my family through mist-shrouded forests and along alpine trails with expansive views.
Dragons Walk Among Us is my debut YA fantasy novel from The Wild Rose Press. It is the first novel in The Allison Lee Chronicles, which is planned to span four books. Check my blog for info on release dates and progress reports.
Follow Dan at

• Website: https://www.danscifi.com/dragons-walk-among-us 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanSciFi 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRiceWrites 
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58108442-dragons-walk-among-us 

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