Wife & mama. Soon to be indie author. Anime & manga lover, specifically Kuroko no Basuke. Also reviewer on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/HappiLeeErin). Abuser of capslock and obsessor of boba. Otter enthusiast.
My name is Erin Lee and today I wanted share a project that is very close to my heart. For the last few years I’ve been working on a novel series called When the Last Dragon Died. The first of the triology, The Guardian, is now in the editing phase. I’ve decided to move forward with self-publishing! This is a super exciting but also intimidating journey I’m starting on, so I began an Indiegogo to help with the costs.
The Guardian follows seventeen-year-old Alvis possesses a gift of inexplicable strength. Raised in the slums by his genius-mechanic father, Alvis wants to use his strength to help people, but his temper gets in him in trouble instead. Level-headed Rae is a half-dragon, half-human hybrid called a Guardian. A wanted criminal, Rae carries with him the trauma from his time as a gladiator, when he was forced to fight against (and kill) other Guardians for the entertainment of the wealthy. Despite their differences, Alvis and Rae can agree on one thing: they fight best when they’re fighting alone. But when faced with the corruption in their homeland, Zen, one thing becomes clear- they'll have to keep each other alive if they want to survive.
At it’s core, it’s a simple story about two boys- a misunderstood teen and the other a criminal on the run- as they attempt to navigate growing up, dragon fights, a rebellion, and their changing relationship.
For fans of fantasy novels like Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and anime like Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist, it tackles themes like mental illness, discrimination, and morality in the face of war with a light-hearted, but earnest tone. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a YA novel without a little romance - Alvis has a thing for guys with strong jawlines and toned biceps. (He also can’t flirt to save his life.)
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please consider supporting the indiegogo! Can’t donate? That’s totally fine! Just spreading the word and sharing the link will help SO MUCH and mean a lot to me!
I’ve included a sample from chapter 1 under the cut, and you can read the full first two chapters here!
Alvis Witt was trouble.
He was almost always at the center of it, and when he wasn’t it was always close behind him. He was a dangerous boy. He would break your nose, perhaps your jaw, maybe even a few limbs for good measure, if you simply looked at him the wrong way. He grinned at the sight of blood, made deals with shady folks in dark alleys at night, and was once seen bullying a child to the point of tears.
At least, that’s what the gossiping old ladies in the neighborhood would have you believe.
Even though it was all complete bullshit.
(Okay, mostly complete bullshit.)
First of all, Alvis did not “grin” when he saw blood. In fact, it kinda made him gag sometimes, and it was annoying to get out of clothes.
Second, his dad would, without a single doubt, most definitely kill him dead if he caught a glimpse of Alvis hanging around with “shady folks”.
Oh, and that whole making a kid cry thing? That was one, big misunderstanding because- well, yes, Alvis did make that kid cry, but what actually happened was he accidentally knocked the kid’s ice cream cone out of his hand. Then he replaced the cone with the last of his paycheck, but of course that part conveniently gets left out of all those dumb rumors constantly spread through the neighborhood about his reputation.
As for the rest of the snarky gossip surrounding him-
Well, that stuff he had a much weaker defense against.
Still, Alvis Witt wasn’t dangerous; he didn’t get into all those fights because he wanted to (... most of the time). Whether it was because people believed those rumors and sought him out for a fight, or because some snotty rich dude thought he could treat someone like trash, he always attracted trouble. His dad kept trying to teach him about restraint, that he didn’t need to rise to every taunt or challenge someone tossed his way, but the lessons never really stuck.
Maybe one day they would, but, right then, all Alvis could do was dodge the oncoming fist, then respond with one of his own.
“You son of a bitch!” The beefy guy pushed himself up to his knees from where he’d slammed onto the ground, his bleeding nose dripping red into the disrupted snow. “You’ll pay for that!”
“Dude, you're the one who attacked me for no reason,” Alvis said as he shook out his fist and smirked down at him. “Which is weird, considering what a weakling you are.”
The man let out an enraged cry and lunged forward, his movements sloppy and disoriented. Alvis sidestepped, then grabbed the man by his hair. He yanked his head down to not so gently meet Alvis's rising knee.
The man fell limply to the ground.
Alvis watched the man’s stilled form for a moment, pausing to see if the fight was really over or not. When the man didn’t move even after Alvis nudged him with his foot, he heaved a sigh. He stepped over the guy to grab the lunchbag he had abandoned the instant he sensed a fist coming at him. Alvis's hands shook as he picked it up, adrenaline flowing through him, making his fingers itch for more and setting his nerves on fire even through the biting cold. He glanced back, hopeful to see if the beaten man was still conscious- maybe even ready for a second round...
Okay, fine. Alvis did enjoy the fight a little bit. He was good at fighting. Probably the only thing he was good at. Sure, he could paint okay, and he was the most efficient worker when he wasn’t, you know, getting fired. But throwing punches, reading opponents movements, and knocking people onto their asses? That came naturally to him as breathing.
Because fighting was his heart pumping adrenaline into his veins. Fighting was knowing how to smile.
Fighting was a curse.
He really couldn’t call it anything else. Not when he dreamt of using his hands to create, and maybe help people, or even improve the world. But Alvis wasn’t good at fighting simply because it was a part of him; he had a gift life so graciously granted him since he was a child:
Incredible strength.
Maybe to others, his goals sounded simple and cliche, but for him, his strength made them unattainable no matter how hard he tried. He always went in with good intentions in mind, but somehow he failed, and then another rumor would start about the son of that genius mechanic who was tainting the family legacy.
Which… Alvis didn’t particularly disagree with, but he didn’t enjoy thinking about.
The morning bells in the distance pulled him out of his musings, reminding him he was about to be late for work. All need for a fight drained from his body as he took off sprinting, leaving his opponent behind in the snow.
I asked for one of Keith’s Pictionary drawings for the cookie cake, and when I picked it up the girl said, “This is so cute!! Did one of your kids draw it?” And I just AKSNDJSLWNDUEBEU
Aura is the story of Alexis Pope, a fledgling fashion designer based in Brooklyn who lives with bipolar disorder and associated migraines. Her headache harbinger – a rainbow-tinged visual aura – is actually an energy form that transforms her thoughts into physical projections. Alexis can also fly and levitate objects, all with the polychromatic power of her mind!
But despite her powers, Alexis has faced difficulties related to her bipolar disorder – she survived a suicide attempt and has struggled to find the right treatment. As if these challenges weren’t enough, the stigma associated with mental illnesses like bipolar disorder has caused Alexis to feel isolated and marginalized.
With effective treatment, an empowered Alexis reframes the role mental illness plays in her life and embraces her heroic identity, forging ahead as the super hero Aura!
Over half of Americans – 183 million people – will experience a diagnosable mental disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Yet, there are few representations of people with mental illnesses in comic books.
And when mental disorders are depicted in comics, they are overwhelmingly associated with violence and villainy. But the vast majority of people with mental disorders do not commit violent acts; studies show only about four percent of violence in the United States can be attributed to people with mental illnesses.
As a psychiatrist, mental health advocate, and life-long comic book fan, I felt the need to take corrective action, so I teamed up with acclaimed artist Marguerite Sauvage to redefine how people living with mental illnesses are represented in comics.
Aura eschews the shameful, archaic depictions of mental illness that have become ubiquitous tropes in comics. Instead, Aura provides a positive role model, not only for people living with mental illnesses, but for anyone who defies stereotypes and believes they’re more than a label.
remember how at the end of samurai flamenco these two dudes got married and all the comments people left were like “wow they have such a strong friendship” because…
look at those friends. at their friendship ceremony. very friendship. no homo.
