My (award-winning!!! oh my gosh!) queer YA contemporary fantasy Child of the Dragon is officially out in the world!! It's about a ragtag team of shapeshifting dragons in high school taking fate into their own hands to break a curse, take down an evil dragon government, and still pass calculus.
It's kind of like Percy Jackson but with dragons instead of demigods!
Check it out if you like:
🐉shape-shifting dragons
✨Ancient Curse. Modern Setting.
🐉forehead kisses
✨More sass than self preservation
🐉angst, sarcasm, and high school
✨sword swinging disability rep
🐉queer rep (demiromantic/ace, questioning ace, gay, & bi in the main cast alone!)
You can get it online wherever books are sold! But if you're in the US and want some quick links including directly from my small press or from some of my local, queer-owned indies, you can find those links + Goodreads & Storygraph links here!
And @queerliblib has it in their Libby catalogue!
and if you've already read, I will love you forever if you leave a review on the review platforms of your choice!
Cover art by @jv.arts.2020
(image descriptions in alt and under the cut!)
There are six images! each will be described separately and labeled image 1-6!
[image 1: A smoky blue and red background with fire and ice coming out the sides of the cover for Child of the Dragon (A cover with fire on the left edges and ice on the right edges centering around a girl in shorts and a tank top, raising a sword high and summoning lightning in front of a massive purple-y european dragon inside some sort of arena. The title: Child of the Dragon is written across the center in a curly, silver font, and the author name is in a smaller version of the same and says Ashley N.Y. Sheesley) blue torn paper across the bottom reads "Child of the Dragon as Memes" //end ID]
[Image 2: A smoky blue and red background with the meme of a car skidding onto the exit lane with the sign above the car showing straight ahead is "grieving, putting energy into school and friend, literally anything normal" and to the exit is "becoming a dragon idk" the car is labeled "Kat" //end ID]
[image 3: A smoky blue and red background with text that reads "it's always ily it's never siywaawiayptbwwygtkak" with a picture from a book with the text highlighted in pink that reads "so, if you were an assassin--which I'm assuming you're planning to become--where would you go to kill a king?" //end ID]
[Image 4: The wolverine comic meme of him in costume in bed looking at a photo frame. The second image is a panel of what's in the frame. Across the top is a speech bubble that says "I want a memory of a warm moment with your friend--Jason, right?" Wolverine is labeled as "coleman" The picture frame reads "[a memory of unimaginable horror and violence but it's kinda gay]" //end ID]
[Image 5: A smoky blue and red background with the meme of a guy turning away looking disgusted next to text that reads "fake dating the hot, mysterious new guy" below is the same guy but he looks happy. There's a transparent demiromantic flag over his picture. the text next to him reads "holding out for your best friend bc why in the world would you date a stranger" //end ID]
[Image 6: A smoky blue and red background with the meme of a guy bringing pizzas into a chaotic room on fire. Across the first image it reads "Aaron just wanting to help his best friend and secret crush." on the second image, a guy swings a flaming object around that reads "she's a dragon" on the fire on the ground it reads "a literal dragon war" and next to that is someone lying on the ground with a tag that says "multiple assassination attempts" //end ID]
What’s really funny about having an aroace main character is just annoyed other people get about romance not being a main plot point. ESPECIALLY when that mc is conventionally attractive!
Like no, my 6’4ft tall, built like an absolute unit of a thembo pirate doesn’t wanna date anyone! They are too thinking about what kind of potato’s they need to cook for dinner!
Turn to any of the other side characters with already established relationships! Just leave my main character alone with their cooking damnit!
my debut, a queer, small press, ya contemporary fantasy, Child of the Dragon, came out earlier this month, and I'm just so stinking proud of it. I'm never going to make lists with this, but I published an entire book!! Little me would be so freaking proud. I did it for her, and I did it for all the teenagers who would rather be fighting dragons (or be a dragon!) than deal with high school! (and for all the adults who like YA who would also rather be a dragon than deal with...well...everything else...)
get a copy or add it to your favorite book review site here (the buy links are the main US stores I know about, but it should be available in English in most countries (though I have been made aware that the amazon price in europe is astronomical, so try to find a book store that has it! I know of bookstores in Poland and the Neatherlands for sure that can order it in for a much more reasonable price))
I've been dreaming about the day I'd see my own name on a book cover, and it's finally happening with a book that's so close to my heart. A massive thanks to JV Artists for making the cover of my dreams! Child of the Dragon is releasing March 10, 2026 from Inked In Gray Press and preorders are available now on their website! (coming soon to major retailers)
Child of the Dragon is a contemporary young adult fantasy with high school drama and angst, shapeshifting dragons, a queer cast, sword-swinging disability rep, and a little best friends to lovers. As a treat.
