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PAINTING FAIRIES & DRAGON DREAMER JEWELRY

3/31/2017

I left paint, paper, and brushes out for weeks, waiting for the painting fairies. They never came.

So I finally grabbed the brush by the handle and painted the 2nd cover, for Dragon Lightning.

I measured and used ratios to make both covers match. Now I'm imagining the cover for my 3rd book. Seeing my dragons helps me tell their stories.

Art is an important part of culture. The beings in the Dragon Dreamer series are very cultured!

Arak makes musical ice sculptures in this science-based fantasy world. Ice dragons sculpt glaciers with lightning.

Orm decorates his undersea cave with glowing tapestries.

Amazon Book Link: The Dragon Dreamer
Each book chapter has a drawing. Golden dragons grow fantasy snowflakes made from animals. Some are on the "Snowflakes" page: http://www.jennysburke.com/snowflakes.html
I'm working on a Snowflakes Coloring Book with these flakes and more.

I started a line of Dragon Dreamer jewelry that is themed to my books.

Orm grows cultured pearls beneath the waves and glowing, living tapestries.

Scree changes color to show emotions and carries a pink friendship pearl. Dragons use gems for their trance-stones.

Check out the new "Jewelry" page with 9 earring trays:
http://www.jennysburke.com/jewelry.html

Art is my first love. I've made jewelry since I was a child. I use math ratios and weight for color and "density" to make better patterns.

There are plans for a Dragon Dreamer ETSY store with jewelry, cards, and posters.

Thanks for stopping by!

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TO SAVE A MOCKINGBIRD

1/27/2017

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A small bird emerged from the far side of the meadow, swept across the clearing, and landed on my shoulder just as a stranger appeared.

His eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair. “How did you do that?”
I struggled not to laugh. “Easy. I just called Birrr-Deee.” Then I walked back into the woods.

The mockingbird on my shoulder pecked at my earlobe and I gave him a snack from my pocket. I had found him as a tiny pink hatchling with no feathers, merely tiny sheaths like plastic straws. I searched for a nest, but found only the remnants left after the storm. I hid and watched, but no mother bird appeared.

The baby bird looked fearlessly into my eyes and I knew I couldn’t just leave him there. So I fixed up a box with straw and a heating lamp. I called him “Birdy”, unwilling to give a better name since I doubted he would live. I fed him constantly, whenever I wasn’t working as a swimming instructor or lifeguard at the community pool. And he grew feathers.

He hopped and flapped his wings but tried little else. So I helped him learn to fly. One day he flew away, as I had hoped. He was free.

I knew he might still need supplements as he tried new foods in the forest, so I carried snacks with me and called to him in the nearby meadow, using the same two “bir-dy” call notes. He often came to my call, and it felt magical.

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Relax and Feel the Sunshine

11/1/2016

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It seems that almost everyone I know is stressed out. I'm sending each of you a virtual vacation in a warm, relaxing tide pool. Close your eyes, listen to the waves and feel the sunshine. Enjoy!

Then take a virtual ride on a dragon and spiral through the clouds. Toss lightning with other dragons. Take a vacation in the worlds of the Dragon Dreamer.

Amazon US Books I & II:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=js+burke
Amazon UK Books I & II:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Dragon+Dreamer

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WHERE DO WRITER IDEAS COME FROM?

10/31/2016

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Barbara: What was your most memorable experience as a marine biologist and did this influence your writing or did the writing come first?

J.S.: Meeting the octopus made me fall in love with them. I studied them. When I began to write about dragons, an octopus appeared to save Arak. I didn't plan this. All my experiences find a way into my books. In some ways, these are my autobiographies.

Lisa: Do you enjoy that others read your books or do you miss just writing for yourself?

J.S.: I became accustomed to this being my private world. But I've met many marvelous people because the Dragon Dreamer books were published.

Lisa: When did you decide to write?

J.S.: I've written most of my life, but in different settings. I've published marine science papers and educational books with crystals to teach math and chemistry. I learned a new set of skills to write a novel: pacing, character development, story arc, etc. This is fascinating! It lets you use everything.

Nichole: Where did the idea come from for Scree and Arak?

J.S.: I don't really know. This story just grew in my head, from all I know and imagine. Once my characters arrived, they became real to me and I knew what they would do. Dragon Arak is a determined dreamer, which I understand. Octopus Scree loves the ocean and tries to do the right thing, which I think is important.

Donna: Where did the names of your characters come from?

J.S.: Octopus names are one syllable and sound like the sea. Dragon names are 2 syllables (male) or 3 syllables (female) and sound dragonny.

Connie: Do you do any kind of research on dragons before writing?

J.S.: I've studied all kinds of beings to learn what is possible; electric eels, birds who probably see magnetic lines, insects that communicate with chemicals through plants, how birds fly, how some insects can squirt stuff that burns. Then I put it all together to understand my dragons.

Katie: What's your favorite thing writing about your dragons?

J.S.: I'm fascinated by the science behind all the neat things they can do. In Dragon Lightning I delve into how they use and see energy.

Sandra: Why did you have your dragons make snowflakes? Are your dragons cold blooded?

J.S.: My dragons are warm-blooded and have a fast metabolism. That's why they eat fatty foods like nuts and fish, to have enough energy. They eat a lot before they go up into the clouds and grow fantasy flakes. Growing these flakes takes skill and develops their talents at manipulating micro-energy.

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CHANGE HAPPENS SLOWLY. THERE IS HOPE.

9/1/2016

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A friend was feeling discouraged about our world. Change happens slowly, and there is hope.

Once our rivers were so polluted they caught on fire. The air in cities was so filthy you could barely see the tops of buildings. Then the EPA was formed, and now the air and sky are much cleaner.

Once it was OK to beat animals to death. Today it is illegal and also not socially acceptable. No Kill animal shelters are spreading. We need to keep pushing for improvements.

Change often starts with the dreams of one person willing to commit to making the world a better place. Progress can be made as simply as helping one child learn to read.

In The Dragon Dreamer, Arak is an idealistic dragon. He learns that "Everything worth doing starts with a dream." But it takes work and a plan.

Scree is fearless and never gives up. "What will be, will be. And then I'll fix it." This is something we all can do.

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WHAT IS GIFTEDNESS?

8/24/2016

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Thomas Edison described genius as one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Dr. Renzulli defined giftedness as having above average intelligence, creativity, and the ability to delay closure. That means to be able to keep working on something until it’s the best you can do.

Giftedness is not something simply bestowed by our genes or a magic wand. These traits can be developed in yourself and fostered in others. Your I.Q. changes with the work you invest in learning. Creativity increases when you experiment. Commit to making something the best it can be and you have the third trait: a willingness to keep working.

I was certified to teach students identified as gifted. Identify your passions, for this is often where your gifts are.

Art and music stimulate the mind and are important parts of the school curriculum. Students of all ages benefit from opportunities to be creative. Adult brains are flexible.

The brain needs exercise as much as any other part of our body. Reading, writing, sewing, drawing, building, etc. help our minds more than watching TV. Our I.Q. increases and decreases with our efforts.

The Dragon Dreamer series has a character with a gift, but this is meaningless until he pursues a dream with planning and persistence.

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Learning To Hear What Is Not Said

6/29/2016

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Only 20% of what we communicate face-to-face is from our words; the rest of the message comes from our tone, facial expressions, and body language. There is often another message: What is not said. How can we learn to hear what is not said? This can be the most important message of all.

Most of our friends and family are facing a serious problem of some kind. How can we help? I try to just listen. Offering unsolicited advice implies that you think you know more than they do about their own situation. When I have a truly useful suggestion, I ask if the person is interested. If not, I continue to listen. We can help by being a sympathetic, non-judgmental sounding board in a harsh, judgmental world.

Communication is an important part of "The Dragon Dreamer", where a flying dragon (Arak) and a silent, undersea shape-shifter (Scree) become friends. Arak and Scree communicate with sign language, expressions, and body language. They have emotions like ours, and serious problems.

Scree notes that “One can only see what one is prepared to see.” Everyone sees the world through a different filter, and some filters are as strong as bullet-proof glass. Scree speaks of trying to see the world with new eyes, to see objectively what is really there. Using positive words to describe a person or behavior can change our mental filter: a dreamer instead of lazy, take-charge instead of pushy.

The song "Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkle has a line that resonates: “People talking without listening.” Try the reverse and listen without speaking, and watch for clues of what the person is thinking. Being intuitive comes from paying attention and listening deeply. This is how to hear what is not said.

Truly hearing and understanding can change your world. Sometimes this can save lives.

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MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS.

5/4/2016

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May the Fourth be with you, always.

I drew this tree-of-life snowflake mandala to capture the flow of energy.
This seems appropriate for those who feel the force flowing through life. It's inspired by a red oak with a split trunk.

"Everything worth doing starts with a dream." ~ Arak, my dragon dreamer.

I wanted earthy-pink colors, and V. Hemlin colored it. Enjoy!

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DRAGONS, ENERGY, AND SNOWFLAKES

4/26/2016

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Goodreads Question about The Dragon Dreamer: What piqued your curiosity about dragons, energy, and snowflake mandalas?

DRAGONS:
I've been fascinated by dragons since I first started reading. I love the sci-fi opportunities to imagine different dragon senses and societies.

ENERGY:
I've studied energy because it's fascinating. Vibrations from music notes, with different energy, make unique patterns in the sand. Dr. Ott and Dr. Darius Dinshaw experimented with light to find healing colors/wavelengths.

Life has energy. Electric eels can give electric shocks.
In The Dragon Dreamer series, my dragon Healers
control their inner energy to speed healing.

SNOWFLAKE MANDALAS:
Snowflakes have energy. They're like tiny batteries in clouds,
with energy running across their faces.

Snowflakes are grown in cloud chambers.
I imagined growing my own snowflakes, using energy
and chemicals to control the pattern. This may be possible.
My first love was art, so I saw fantasy flakes
in my mind and drew them with pen and ink.

My dragons grow fantasy snowflakes for their Winter Festival,
and many grace the top of each new chapter of The Dragon Dreamer.
Much of my fantasy is grounded in science, with a sci-fi artsy angle.
Art, math, and science are all based on patterns, and connected.

This is the very first snowflake mandala that I ever drew. The dolphins are nose-to-nose, talking, leaping from a frolicking wave pattern.

Scree, my shape-shifter heroine, says that communication is always the key to solving problems. And she never gives up.

"What will be, will be. And then I'll fix it." ~ Scree

V. Hemlin colored this.

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A DRAGON'S LOVE

3/28/2016

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Arafine stood alone on the dragon shore, staring out to sea, rustling her golden wings. Fading light slid down golden scales, and water-slicked sand gleamed like polished copper in the sunset. She flicked her long tail nervously as the sun sank, as another day of hope died.

Arafine’s eyes felt like dry holes in her head as she searched the sky for her lost son, trying to peer beyond the horizon where Arak had disappeared on his journey. Why had he headed out to sea? She should have flown after him and made him change course. But this was his first solo journey, and he would never have forgiven her.

Was he still alive? Cold waves crashed over her clawed feet and ran back into the sea. After dragon-weeks of searching, her heart felt colder than the waves. Stray memories of Arak surfaced in her mind, coupled with desperate, uncertain loss. Freezing sand shifted beneath her claws as she shivered.

Kragor landed beside Arafine and stretched a long wing across her back, enfolding her in a comforting embrace. She leaned against him, remembering a very different evening long ago. She and Kragor had playfully spiraled about each other, weaving a golden path through the night sky as they flew to a remote volcanic island.

Arafine and Kragor feasted on fresh oysters beneath curtains of colored light that hung in the sky, rippling in an unknown breeze. They walked wing-to-wing across worn rock, admiring the harsh beauty of this distant place, gathering diamonds. These large, eight-sided crystals had weathered out of dark rock and lay strewn about, sparkling in white, yellow, pink, blue and lilac.

Kragor arranged the sparkling gems in a pattern that captured the flickering essence of northern lights. Arafine recalled his impressive ice sculpture from their Winter Festival. He carved his abstract sculpture from an ice boulder, with carefully placed facets that caught the light like a star sapphire. These made glowing images within the ice that changed across time. A fleeting smile crossed her face. There was something about an artist, how they saw the world . . .

Arafine and Kragor chose each other as partners in the storm dances, tossing lightning back and forth with copper claws. They added metals to color the lightning bolts, and lit the clouds with rainbow colors. Kragor watched her eyes as he pulled a special vial from his chest pouch. He caught a new bolt, juggling it as he added the red metal. This was the color at the rim of dragon-lord scales. The bolt turned a bright emerald, the color at the tip of golden dragon-lady scales.

He tossed the green lightning.

Arafine caught the green fire and twirled it on her claws, considering. Then she smiled into his waiting, anxious eyes and returned the lightning, accepting his proposal. They were mated.

When her wing-tips turned rosy-gold, Arafine made her nest bowl following clan traditions. A dragon must hatch in a nest that combines land, fire, water, and air. The First Dragon was born of these four elements, and all dragons since were born within them. A ceramic bowl was made of clay, softened by water, and hardened by fire and air to create an ancient magic that nurtured dragonlets, and a functional nest that held life-giving heat.

Arafine gathered blue clay from a distant river, and spun her bowl with silver threads. She pinched the rim into wavy folds, then dragon-fired the bowl to hardness. Moonstones and aquamarines decorated the sides in a swirly pattern, so that her nest held the colors and movement of the sea she loved. She filled this bowl with sand to cushion her precious egg, and warmed her nest with dragon-fire.

When their tiny dragonlet finally broke through his shell, he peered about with curiosity and trilled a friendly greeting. She trilled back, singing a gentle lullaby as her heart filled with the fierce love of a dragon-dam. Now he was lost at sea. Her brief escape into happy memories collided with overwhelming grief.

Kragor’s excited cry brought Arafine back from her desperate dreams. A dark speck appeared on the horizon, growing slowly. Arafine strained her eyes to see and her heart beat faster. The spot grew into a dragon and her heart lurched with forgotten hope.

As color drained from the sky, Arak landed roughly at the edge of the sea and collapsed. Waves grabbed his limp body and pulled him back into the sea. He struggled to his feet and staggered up onto the shore.

Arafine slumped onto the sand, weak with joy and relief. “I had lost hope,” she confided in a whisper.

Kragor’s tail thumped with the sudden release of long-held tension, and his deep voice trembled. “I was afraid to say anything . . . afraid to make the loss real. No dragon has ever returned from the sea after being gone so long.”

Arafine stretched her cramped wings. They launched into the sky as one, flying together to welcome Arak home.

*NOTE* This scene was originally in "The Dragon Dreamer" by J.S. Burke. When I deleted Arafine’s point of view, I removed the scene . . . but I missed it.

Thanks for visiting!

Copyright © 2016 Jenny S. Burke
"The Dragon Dreamer" by J.S. Burke is here:
Amazon US Amazon UK NOOK ITUNES KOBO Universal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K9DHTU2/?d

To read more stories in THE STORY HOP, follow this
link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18053739

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PAINTING FAIRIES & DRAGON DREAMER JEWELRY

TO SAVE A MOCKINGBIRD

Relax and Feel the Sunshine

WHERE DO WRITER IDEAS COME FROM?

CHANGE HAPPENS SLOWLY. THERE IS HOPE.

WHAT IS GIFTEDNESS?

Learning To Hear What Is Not Said

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS.

DRAGONS, ENERGY, AND SNOWFLAKES

A DRAGON'S LOVE

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