For the past few days, I’ve been drafting a Christmas novelette (over 13,000 words), and it’s been a very eye-opening project so far. It’s a clash between epic fantasy, romance, and jolly holiday spirit—the perfect recipe for a quirky, epic tale for the whole family.
What makes this story so unique? Well, it’s a holiday spin-off based on my book Dragons, the novel I wrote when I was fourteen. The book stayed dormant for a while, but I recently began writing short stories and spin-offs to continue its legacy and grow the world.
Dragons – Christmas is the first novelette in the world of Dragons, and so far, it’s turning out to be quite a success. Something to note about me is that I love characters. In my opinion, characters are what fuel a story and keep audiences coming back for more. As a very, very, very, very, very belated holiday treat, I want to give you a short scene of my novelette, featuring some of my favorite characters to write. Prepare yourselves for the telling of The Legend Of The Ice Dragons.
“The ice dragon comes every Winter,” Barnabas said, his voice descending into the tale. “It is said that he weaves through the mountains, prowling, seeking the dragon who defeated him long ago. Who is this dragon, you may wonder? He was a fire dragon of the name Kip. Kip the Courageous.”
“Kip was from our village,” Noel continued. “He was an adventurer, and he set out to explore the far reaches of our island. He was gone for many days, and his quest led him into the frigid, blizzarding mountains of the North. Snow pounded against the mountains like boulders. Wind howled through the craggy recesses. And the cold… the cold was numbing.”
Barnabas picked up where she left off. “It so happened that, during the first full moon of the season, Kip snuck into a dark cave for shelter and made a fire. He planned to wait out the blizzard and continue in the morning, but little did he know… there were far greater terrors than storms. Come the morning, an ice dragon ambushed Kip, and they launched into a vicious battle. Kip was outmatched in all but his wits, and using his skill, he managed to slice off a single horn from the ice dragon. With the ice dragon momentarily stunned, the weary Kip stole his chance and escaped, returning home to his village. Our village.”
The story concluded, seemingly fading like smoke into the Winter sky.
James gulped. “Watch where you step,” he whispered to Evangeline. “I think I just made some yellow snow.”
Evangeline grumbled.
Michael T. Hare 
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