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Dear Reader,

I've always been fascinated with dragons and with the stories we tell about dragons—it seems as if many paths have led me to Dragonfire. This series features heroes who are dragon shape shifters, an ancient race charged with guardianship of the elements and the defense of the earth. Over the years, they've separated into two camps: the Pyr (or the "true Pyr") who include humans in the inventory of the earth's treasures, and the Slayers, who believe humans are the pestilence that must be destroyed to save the planet. Throughout the centuries, a time of reckoning has been foretold, a juncture in time in which the Pyr and the Slayers will fight their final battle, leaving only one faction in command of the planet.

That time is now.

The Pyr are all men—with the exception of their prophetess, the Wyvern, who is the only female Pyr—and they mate with human women. (Nothing kinky here—the dragon form is a fighting posture! The Pyr defend their lairs, hoards and mates in dragon form, but the rest of the time, they're testosterone-infused, sexy, hunky, alpha males.) The firestorm, a surge of heat and sexual desire, marks the Pyr's meeting with his destined human mate and the chance to conceive another Pyr. The foretold time of reckoning is marked by three significant firestorms, three partnerships that must be successfully negotiated to give the Pyr the chance to win the war against the Slayers.

The first foretold match is the Smith and the Seer.

Quinn, the hero of Kiss of Fire, is the Smith of his kind. He has the hereditary power to heal the Pyr with his command over the element of fire. But Quinn has spent centuries in solitude, distrusting his fellows. The heat of his firestorm draws both Pyr and Slayers like moths to a flame, compelling him to not only engage in the world of the I again, but decide who to trust and where to ally himself. Sara Keegan, his mate, holds the key to his destiny. But Sara is a pragmatic accountant who believes in what she can hold in her hands—not destiny, shape shifters, ghosts or her own latent psychic abilities. Sara has to learn to trust in abilities she doesn't know she possesses in order to forge Quinn into more than what he has been – and to make herself more powerful as well.

The next fateful firestorm is that of the Warrior and the Wizard. Can Alex Madison (possibly the most kick-butt heroine I've ever written) break down the formidable defenses of Donovan Shea, lover of women and master of avoiding commitment? The answer is in Kiss of Fury, coming in August.

Like many authors, I write what I like to read. My favorite books are stories of transformation, books in which the characters learn something and grow into stronger individuals. If it's two protagonists on a journey, that's even better. Make the romance and their interaction the reason for their transformation, toss in some mythology and world-building, add the sexual tension of the firestorm and a hot dragon shape shifter hero, and I'm one happy reader. If that's your favorite read, as well, then welcome to Dragonfire. There are some hot men I can introduce you too—watch the sparks fly when the firestorm ignites.

All my best,

Deborah Cooke