The Complete Cavernis Series eBooks

***As a special thank you for ordering from my web store, I am including a custom digital painting by A. Christou ($15 value)***

Do you love Love LOVE dragons?

Are you enchanted by the people who ride, tame, and befriend them?

How about a whole world of dragons where they aren't vicious beasts,  but invite you to dinner, have lawyers and CPA's, and even attend their own school?

Mattie Sharp was never special–except when it came to getting in trouble. Then, she was exceptional.

So when she falls into a portal and winds up in dragon-filled Cavernis, imagine her surprise when she discovers she’s the heir to a magical prophesy and must train to be the hero she never thought she could be.

Though Mattie has always been a top student, studying at a school for dragons puts even her to the test!

Join Mattie and her crew of new friends as they learn not just how to survive in the world of dragons, but to save it as well.

***This order is for all four books in the series. PLUS, for ordering on my web store, I'm throwing in digital art & a digital map (a $25 value)!***

What's different about this series?

As a fantasy writer, I grew up with Smaug and Pern; The Dragon and the George, and that crazy worm Ouroboros!  I've seen all the dragon movies--from 80's Dragonslayer to Raya and the Last Dragon--and devoured the old stories like Beowulf and Morte d' Arthur.

So when it came to creating my first series, I knew right away that it had to have dragons! That's when I got the idea to create a school for dragons: What better place to make friends (and mortal enemies) than in a school?

Naturally, as a girl who's always loved dragons, I had to have a stand-in for me: and you as well! !  If you've ever wanted to live in a world full of dragons, go to school with them, have a dragon as a best friend (and maybe even your crush!), then Cavernis' pages await.

The world of Cavernis

A world similar to ours, boasting lush greenery to  snow-capped mountains and everything in between.

The dragons, though, prefer a dry, hot climate--not unlike Fresno or Victorville, CA. To them, their corner of Cavernis is perfect: fiendishly hot, with sprawling deserts, and a delightful number of caves!

Dragons love Cavernis since it's so like the home they left on Earth. Not only is the climate similar, but they can live (peacefully) alongside people, and feast on prime rib au jus just like they used to!    

Matilda ("Mattie") Sharpe

17, was once a sweet little girl, but she becomes troubled after her parents’ divorce. Her mom, who works in IT,  isn’t around enough to stop her downhill slide. Plus, the loss of her BFF, Artorius, sends her spiraling even further. Once she hits Cavernis, she has to learn to fight—physically—not exactly her strong point. But she learns to repel “half mean girls,” bad dragons, even the undead. She's able to think on her feet, making her a whiz at strategy. 

SAMPLE:

Prologue - 1

Seven years ago . . .

 “Whoa, boy, whoa!” Mattie laughed, reining her pony to a halt.

The Griffith Park trails were pretty. It was spring, so there were rough patches of grass, as opposed to the normal dirt. Once you left the dark, narrow tunnel that took you under the street, the weather was practically mild and there was even a breeze.

Mattie really loved horses, so much that her usually thrifty mom offered to pay for lessons. This was beyond awesome since Mattie got to ride Spitfire anytime she wanted. It was almost like owning her own horse.

She loved everything about riding: the sheer joy of loping; the careful setting of tack. Even the dusky smell of her pony’s spotted hide. This was her greatest pleasure, and she wouldn't trade it for anything—not even her own tortoise!

From her saddle, Mattie smiled, then became serious. She was riding past Forest Lawn Cemetery, where flowers dotted some graves and scattered mourners knelt. How horrible to be dead! she thought. You couldn't even feel the breeze…

Spitfire’s ears shot up—his senses were much sharper than hers. He gave a low whinny, then pulled back on the bit. She turned and saw what he saw: a deer—a full-grown buck—with fat eight-point antlers and a white tail tipped in black. Mattie knew, proudly, that he was a mule deer.

“Hello, Mr. Buck,” she called. “Where’s the rest of your family?”

The deer raised his head from grazing and stared at her with dark eyes. Being native to the park, he must have been used to people. Still, he was careful. He reluctantly gave up his feast, slipping back behind thick-grown sycamores. Before he vanished from view, he lowered his antlered head.

“Wow.” Mattie was so caught up in his beauty she almost didn’t notice. Still, it was a hard object to miss. In place of the deer sat an egg, twenty times the size of the ones in her fridge. But the strangest part was that this egg was blue, with light streaming through its jagged cracks!

Mattie dismounted and dropped her reins. She might have been only ten, but she knew enough to realize that deer don’t lay eggs. She had once read in a book that ostriches lay huge ones, but what would one be doing here? Unless it had escaped from the L.A. Zoo next door…

Curious, Mattie strode forward in her black Western boots. The egg’s light brightened, as if it were electric! The cracks widened with a sound like breaking glass, until something alive popped out.

“Oh my gosh!” Mattie cried, falling to her knees. Spitfire snorted in fear.

She was facing a newborn dragon. Though covered in goo which coated its wings, tail, and head, there was no doubt in Mattie’s mind. She rose shakily, brushing dirt from the knees of her jeans. Approaching the hatchling slowly, she pictured flames and claws thanks to Hollywood movies.

“Hey there,” she cooed, “did your mom run away from the zoo?” Did the zoo even have dragons?

It gave a little peep, not much louder than a chick’s. It was only about a foot long, its scales a dullish grey.

“You’re a dragon, right? Are you a boy or a girl?”

It flapped its tiny wings, ridding them of the goo. Then it tried to stand, but fell back, peeping in anger. Mattie, knowing her lizards, looked closely at the base of its tail.

“I see that you’re a boy.”

The dragon flicked out its tongue—forked, of course—and started to clean himself. That’s when Mattie noticed.

“Oh, poor thing! You’re missing two of your legs.”

The baby had front claws with black manicured pointed nails, but in back there was only his tail, swatting in tandem with Spitfire’s.

Not wanting to make him feel bad, Mattie said nothing more. If the dragon was aware of his loss, he gave no obvious sign.

After his grooming was done, he lazily darted his tongue, snagging some nearby flies. Mattie saw that his teeth were grooved just like a small shark’s.

“So, are you a reptile or bird, and are you cold or warm-blooded?” She stood tall, priding herself on her knowledge.

“Neecck!” said the dragon. He happily spread his batlike wings and landed on her shoulder.

“Whoa!” Mattie’s whole body shook. She saw that he was polite, since he didn’t rake her with his nails.

“What should I call you?” she asked, bundling him into the folds of her shirt.

“Rrrrrggh!” he answered, his response muted by cotton.

“That’s a silly name.”

She kissed to Spitfire and swung onto his back, surprised that he didn’t spook. Yet he now seemed perfectly calm around her adopted friend.

“I’m going to call you Toutles, since I once went to a place named that.” 

She recalled the long car trip to Washington, when Mom and Dad were still together. How they’d all laughed and joked! They’d marveled at Mount St. Helens and the felled trees around it. That had been a whole two years ago.

 Mattie rode back to the barn, removing Spitfire’s tack and letting him into his stall. As she fed him some carrots, she was careful with her precious cargo.

“Bye, pony!”

Mattie walked the short distance home as Toutles cuddle into her chest. The dragon was a good traveler, and hummed softly to himself.

“I hope my mom lets me keep you.”

Toutles let out a sharp whistle. He seemed confident that she would.

 Prologue - 2

 Mattie ran into her apartment. It was Sunday, and Mom was sprawled on the couch, trying to relax. As always, she looked tired.

“Mom, Mom!” Mattie shouted. “Look what I found!”

She unveiled the tiny dragon, his wings now folded neatly.

“Oh, honey, not another stray.”

Mom closed her eyes. Mattie had so far brought home a bird, three cats, and a puppy. Their home was starting to look like Dr. Doolittle’s parlor.

“What is it this time?” Mom buried her head into a flowery cushion.

“It’s a dragon!”

Mom smiled. She opened one eye to examine Toutles.

“Oh, one of those Komodo things.” She turned back into the couch, then wheeled around. “Wait a minute! Aren’t they deadly? Like, one tried to take off Sharon Stone’s ex-husband’s foot?”     

Mattie shrugged. She didn’t know who Sharon Stone was.

Mom sighed. “It better not bite! Where did you find it?”

“In the park. It hatched from a ginormous blue egg!”

Toutles lifted his wedge-shaped head, the small spikes atop his skull flopping to the side.

“Braaach!” he said.

“Well, don’t you think you should return it? I’m sure it misses its mother. Think how you would feel.”

“But, Mom, no one else was around. He’s mine now and his name is Toutles. Please let me keep him—please!”

No one can plead as prettily as a ten-year-old girl on a mission, and Mattie was more single-minded than Jane Goodall in the bush.

“Ughhhhh…” Mom groaned. “Alright, but only for now. And put him in a cage—in your room. I don’t know what dragon poop looks like, but I don’t want it on my carpet.”

“Thanks Mom thanks!” Mattie ran up to her, planting a kiss on her forehead. “You’re the best mom ever!”

Mom nodded wearily. She was old enough to know that there were two kinds of love: one based on favors and one rooted in genuine feeling.

“Use the cage from the crazy cat.”

“Okay.”

One cat Mattie brought home had bitten and clawed everyone. She’d finally been adopted by the cat lady upstairs.

Mattie skipped into her room, Toutles bundled in her arms. She set him on her twin bed, where he surveyed his surroundings. Her wildlife poster and miniature Breyer horses really seemed to intrigue him.

“One sec, Toutles.”

She ran out to get the cage from a closet, plus newspaper to line the bottom. She rinsed and filled his water bowl, then stood before the fridge and wondered, What do dragons eat? She tried putting milk in her old doll’s bottle. This was met with an upturned snout. Next, she filled his food bowl with her dog’s Kibbles N’ Bits.

“C’mon Toutles, good boy!” Mattie tried to coax him into the cage, holding up a Kibble (or was it a Bit?)

He looked beyond disgusted. He opened his mouth with its pointed teeth and said, “Brrrrrp!”

“Please—you have to eat.”

Mattie felt maternal concern. She tried an age-old ploy. Snapping up a bath towel, she threw it over Toutles, then released him inside the cage, slamming and locking the door.

Toutles looked around amazed, whipping his head back and forth. Mattie noticed a strange change. His pupils, which had been blue and round, became vertical slits, as if he were a cobra. He stuck out his forked tongue, hissing like a radiator.

“I’m sorry, Toutles. I know, being in a cage sucks.”

He looked down and gave a sniffle. Then, he actually started to sob! The scales of his small chest heaved as he whimpered and shook.

“Okay, I’ll take you out. Just don’t tell Mom.”

She unlatched the cage door and freed him. His pupils turned back to normal. He headed right for her, settling into her lap. There, he seemed content, for he curled into a scaly ball. It was then that Mattie learned baby dragons can snore!

Over the next few days, she found out what dragons eat. Toutles devoured some Chinese take-out, then showed a real taste for tacos (not the fake kind—but street tacos from the truck, asada and pollo and carnitas). He disdained soda, preferring bottled water, and revealed a real fondness for prime rib au jus.

“You’re a strange one,” Mattie told him as he nestled into her lap while she read from Harry Potter. He seemed to get very excited during the Triwizard tourney, though he frequently snorted. One time, he even blew white smoke through his nostrils!

“No, Toutles, no—no fire. You want Mom to have kittens?”

Toutles shot her a queer look. He pointed a small black nail at the pages of their open book.

“O, I get it.” She leafed forward a chapter, making sure to skip any parts that mentioned his own kind. Who could have ever guessed that dragons could be so sensitive?

On weekdays, when Mattie was at school, she could barely sit still. After the last bell rang, she ran to catch her carpool, bouncing up and down until she could finally get home.

“Ants in your pants?” Mrs. Spees asked.

“Mattie, settle down,” Mom ordered.

It was hard to focus on fractions when you had a dragon in your room! Still, Mattie tried, though her thoughts were mainly with Toutles.

After their first week together, he’d convinced her that he was as smart as she was. He loved for her to read to him and really seemed to listen. When Dobby died, he cried. He could also make his wishes clear, with crossed arms or a toothy smile and front claws thrown in the air.

When she introduced him to Felicia (her rescue dog from the pound) he was so glad to have a friend that he did a happy dance! One day when Mattie came home, she was cradled in his arms and he was gently humming to her. Felicia, half-Chihuahua and fully hyper, seemed content to lie still for once.

“How I wish you could talk,” Mattie told him, at least ten times a day. Toutles would frown and sadly point to his throat. Mattie understood. For now, their exchange was only one-way.

On his third Sunday with her, she took Toutles out for a walk by the edge of her complex’s pool. It was of course sunny, and what Mom called “Wannabes” lay by the water in tiny swimsuits.

“Hey Mattie,” Mr. Gold called. He was an elderly (to her) man who lived with his grandkids downstairs.   

“Hi, Mr. Gold.”

“Whatcha got there—some kind of iguana?” He dipped his chili-cheese fries into a cup of ketchup.

“He’s a dragon, Mr. Gold.”

“Sure. The kids love Animal Planet. From the Komodo Islands, right?”

“Yes, sir.” As Mattie lied, she found herself getting louder to make her words more believable.

“Aren’t they vicious?”

“Oh no, Mr. Gold! Toutles is sweeter than Felicia.”

“Well, he’s a cute little thing. Now. Hope he doesn’t get too big. There’s a twenty-pound pet limit here.”

“Oh.” Mattie moved away quickly, hoping Toutles hadn’t heard. But he was far more interested by her neighbor’s red-tipped fries.

Mattie pulled him away, using Felicia’s leash. In the space of just two weeks, he’d put on a lot of weight, about fifty pounds. This could be a problem, or “issue,” as Mom said her bosses called it.

Only mom, Mr. Gold, and Mattie knew that Toutles lived in the building. She wanted to tell her friends, but managed to keep quiet. Once they got a look at Toutles, they would know he was no “Komodo” dragon. He had wings, for Pete’s sake! Old people could be so dense.

Toutles continued to grow. And grow. At one month, he was a quarter the size of Spitfire; at two, he was equal to half the pony. Cleaning his poop and keeping him fed was almost a full-time job. Yet as the dragon grew, Mattie felt the two of them grow closer.

They read Eragon together; watched Reign of Fire and Dragonheart. Toutles seemed shocked at the savage portrayal of his species. He watched the films with folded arms, shaking his now-blue head. In fact, all his scales had turned deep blue, which was more than fine with Mattie since that was her favorite color!

As spring gave way to summer, she found he was her best companion. When she came home from school upset because some boy had called her “Zoo Girl,” Toutles put an arm around her, making a soothing sound. When he grew restless at being confined, she would take him out at night to walk the edge of the pool. It was really a perfect friendship, and all thoughts of Dad in New York faded from Mattie’s mind.

Her whole world consisted of Toutles. She daydreamed that together they would live in a magic kingdom and fly away to the sun. It was so rare to find a friend who truly understood her, who didn’t point out her faults, or leave when she was bratty. Toutles was that kind of friend, but Mattie didn’t know then that nothing in life lasts forever.

As usual, it was an adult who ruined everything. And, as usual, that adult took the form of a parent.

So far, Mattie had kept Mom away by cleaning her room every day and shushing Toutles’ sounds. Still, Mom was a mom, and she staged a surprise visit one weekend.

“No!” she shouted, looking like she’d just spotted her boss. On the sagging bed sat Toutles, now over three feet tall.

“Mrrrrm!” he roared upon seeing her.

“Mattie! Why didn’t you tell me your pet was the size of Godzilla?!”

“Um—”

Mom mumbled to herself. “My fault. Too much stress at work.”

“It’s okay, Mom, Toutles is good. He likes to read about Pern and dip his tail in the pool.”

“Aiiieee!” Mom cried, like a movie villager running from dragons. “Do you want to get us thrown out? I could barely get into this place as is! This, this…lizard has got to go!”

“But, Mom—”

“No buts. Take him across to the zoo. They have people.”

“But, Mom, he’s not a pet—he’s my friend.” Mattie’s eyes filled with tears.

“I’m sure. He’s also huge, like he could destroy Tokyo. Get that thing out of my house. Or I’m calling 911.”

Mattie knew her mom well enough to realize when begging was useless. Mom stood and watched as she slipped Felicia’s leash (now ridiculously tiny) into Toutles’ collar (one of Dad’s old leather belts).

Mom backed off as Toutles rose from the bed, sliding sideways through the door. He waved a claw at her sadly as he and Mattie left.

Toutles was too heavy for the elevator, so Mattie took the stairs. Under the summer sun, they both walked down the block, heads drooping. A rider on horseback stared and fled, though his mount stayed strangely calm.

“I’m not taking you to the zoo,” Mattie hissed, as fierce as any reptile. They passed the Circle K barn on the corner, went over a rickety bridge and then through a cool, dark tunnel until they emerged in the park. There, they treaded the dusty trail, trudging uphill by Forest Lawn.

“Here.” Mattie took off Toutles’ collar, freeing him from restraint. He looked sad as they stood on the spot where the egg had hatched only three months before.

“Run, Toutles. Don’t let them find you. They’ll just put you in a cage.” Mattie went up to her friend, wrapping her arms around his blue belly. It was cool to the touch.

“Neeckkk,” Toutles cried mournfully.

“I know.” Mattie was sobbing now, her tears coating smooth scales. Toutles sighed with a force that shook his delicate wings.

“Goodbye,” she whispered. “I’ll miss you, I’ll never forget you.”

“Ahhhhhh,” Toutles moaned. He bent and licked her face for what they both thought was the last time. Then he raised his head as if hearing a silent call. Gently placing Mattie to the side, he tensed, putting both claws on the ground. Loping forward with the aid of his tail, he crashed over the dirt until he hit an invisible barrier. On contact, the wall shimmered with waves, each of which swallowed a part of Toutles. Before he disappeared, he looked back at Mattie once, then was gone.

Kirkus’ starred review for A School for Dragons:

“A sparkling series opening featuring dynamic, winsome characters.”

Amazon reader: “I want to go to the school for dragons!”

RATINGS:  Sex: PG-13, Violence: PG-13 Romance: PG-13 Bad language: G