Hey everyone! I’m really excited to have Chris Cannon, author of Burning Bright (June 4, 2018 – Entangled Publishing, LLC [Teen]), here for an interview. First, here’s more about the book:

Bryn is back for her senior year at the Institute for Excellence, also known as shape-shifting dragon school. She isn’t sure which is scarier, the life-force sucking dragons stalking campus or the fact that she’s officially betrothed to Jaxon, a guy who will never love her. Not that she could ever love him, either… That’s just ridiculous.

Senior year should be fun. Her parents are alive, she’s finally fitting in, and she’s learning how to be a Medic. But what’s with Jaxon giving her strange looks? He runs hot and cold, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a hybrid fire-and-ice-breathing dragon like her. One minute they’re having a great time and the next, she wants to blast a fireball at his head. The marriage contract of doom looms over them–unless this match not made in heaven kindles a flame…

Goodreads | Amazon | Kobo

And now here’s the interview! Enjoy!

Describe your book in ten words or less. Go!
Shape-shifting dragon fights off dragon-pires while falling for her frenemy.

How does it feel, knowing this is the last book in the series? Are you sad to say goodbye to these characters? Any plans for more books in this world?
Saying goodbye to these characters was hard. I honestly wasn’t ready to let go, which is why I plan to write more books set in this world. I want to write a prequel involving Bryn’s parent’s. It would be the story of how they ran away from the secret society of shape shifting dragons to escape arranged marriages, giving up everything they’d ever known…facing banishment or death for true love.

How was working on book one different from working on book five? Most important thing you’ve learned along the way?
When I wrote Going Down In Flames I let my imagination run free. I was creating the world and the rules as I went along. For the rest of the series I had to make sure to abide by those rules which wasn’t always easy.

If you could go back to book one, and give ONE character a piece of advice, who would you give advice to and what would the advice be?
I’d tell Bryn that her grandparents aren’t as bad as they seem. If she gives them time they will warm up to her.

Who would win in a fight: Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, or Bryn?
While I have the utmost respect for Daenerys, Bryn is a dragon. She doesn’t have to give a “Dracarys” command, she can blast fire whenever she wants in both human and dragon form. Although I think Bryn and Daenerys would probably be friends. They could hang out and bond over how fragile male egos can be.

Favorite fictional dragon (besides Bryn, of course!)?
I love Smaug from The Hobbit. Of course, that may just be because of my crush on Benedict Cumberbatch.

Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
When I came up with the idea of dragonsbane, a play on wolfsbane, I researched poisons online and probably ended up on a watch list somewhere.

What are three must-have items when you sit down to write?
Whenever I sit down to write I need a giant cup of coffee, a snack involving some sort of chocolate, and my shitzu Pete.

What books would you recommend to a reader who loved yours, and wants to read something similar?
I’m a huge Cassandra Clare fan. I love her character’s snarky sense of humor and her imaginative worlds. I’d like to think that my series would appeal to her readers.

Are you working on anything new? Now that you’ve done a series about dragons, what’s next (Vampires? Werewolves? Etc)?
Here’s the idea I’m currently working on. I think the characters will either be shape-shifting dragons or some sort of shape-shifting magical creatures:

Zara is a Finder. She helps humans find the things they’ve lost. It’s her job to restore order to the human world while remaining undetected. Finders live by one rule. They are not allowed to keep anything. Everything must be returned to its rightful owner. Sometimes it’s hard to give back the shiny pretty things. At least Zara thinks it is. None of the other Finders seem to have a problem with following the rules so she has to hide the fact that she suffers from temptation. Would it really be so bad if she kept just one ring, or made herself known to the young man she saved from drowning?

If she gave into temptation, turned into a Keeper her family would never forgive her. When her best friend Kane chose chaos over order…chose to become a Keeper she was shocked, but she misses him. Finders and Keepers aren’t supposed to be friends, but she finds herself drawn to Kane almost as much as she’s drawn to the human Jack.

Kane is a Keeper. If the humans really appreciated their place in the world they’d be more careful with their things. It’s his job to relieve them of jewels and gold and anything else they aren’t smart enough to hold onto. If a few humans are hurt in the process then so be it. He’s had his eye on Zara. If he can tempt her into keeping something then she’ll have to switch sides and they can be together again. What Zara doesn’t realize is she already kept something…Kane’s heart.

About the Author:
 
Award winning author Chris Cannon lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and her three dogs, Pete the shih tzu who sleeps on her desk while she writes, Molly the ever-shedding yellow lab, and Tyson the sandwich-stealing German Shepherd Beagle. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures and snarky contemporary romance.
 

Website | Twitter | Goodreads