Michael T. Hare

I was reading Jeff Wheeler‘s blog today and stumbled on something that got my attention. Did you know that in medieval times, a map-maker would journey to the far reaches of his or her kingdom and label an unknown region with a dragon and write: “Here there be dragons.”? It was their way of saying they didn’t know what was over there. The idea resonated with me because I grew up imagining dragons in the mountains where I lived.

After watching How to Train Your Dragon, The Hidden World, I began imagining the characters existing somewhere out there. No specific place, no location I could name. Just out there somewhere. In the mountains. It was my way of assuring myself that, despite its tragic ending, the story might continue elsewhere. Maybe it didn‘t have to be over.

And so began my journey as an author. My desire to change the ending led me to write my first book—a full-length novel about what happened afterward and how Vikings and dragons reunited.

Yaweh gave me this opportunity with his creation of the West. He gave me unknowns so beautifully vast that it was impossible not to picture dragons, and I was delighted to learn that medieval cartographers (to some capacity) thought the same. To them, dragons represented the unknown. Which, to me, is an adventure waiting to be embarked on.

“Here there be dragons” is a phrase I inherently live by. Let’s go where the dragons are, discover something new, and get to know the unknown! The notion is captivating, and it draws me closer to places filled with opportunities for exploration.

All in all, isn’t that what stories are? Narratives that keep you seeking, keep you yearning for the next part? Every chapter contains an unknown waiting to be known. Maybe that’s why I love writing books, especially those that expand into a wide series. We’re continually learning about a world and exploring its mysteries. I get to take you on a ride of my own.

A fun fact about Untitled Dragon Rider Project is that it‘s intended to be like S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember, exploring the same world across a continuum of books. That’s why I spent over nine months crafting my plots, creatures, and characters. I’m preparing to write multiple books in the same world. The recent setback of 12,000 words is thankfully paying off day by day, and with my editor (my mom)’s dedicated help, the story is shaping up to be even better than before.

Well, I’m off to have our weekly Christmas celebration.

Until we next meet, traveler!